ISLAMABAD : Foreign minister , Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on Sunday strongly condemned killing of two Pakistanis Sikh traders in Peshawar ,
in a statement, the Foreign minister said no one will be allowed to disturb inter-faith harmony in the country and harm national unity. Meanwhile, Bilawal called for the immediate arrest of those involved. “No one will be allowed to disturb inter-faith harmony in the country and harm national unity,” he said in a statement, adding that the PPP was the country’s real representative party and would not abandon the Sikh community.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) strongly condemned the murders. “This is not the first time that the Sikh community in KP has been targeted and we demand that the KP police identify and arrest the perpetrators promptly.”
It also called on the government to “make it clear that violence against religious minorities will not be tolerated”.
Earlier taking to Twitter, Prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, strongly condemned the killings and urged KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan to ensure safety of citizens in the province, especially non-Muslim Pakistanis.He directed Khan to arrest the killers as soon as possible and convict them according to the law. “We will eradicate enemies of the country who are behind this terrorism activity,” he said. The premier extended heartfelt condolences to bereaved and ensure full cooperation of the federal government in arrest of the killers.
Interior minister, Rana Sanaullah, also condemned the incident and said the provincial government has failed to safeguard minority community in the province. He asked a report from KP chief secretary and IGP police. More over the Sikh community in Peshawar has staged a protest after unknown assailants gunned down two Sikh traders on the outskirts of the city on Sunday. They marched from Mohalla Jogan Shah towards Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Chowk, demanding arrest of the killers immediately. Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Ijaz Khan said the incident took place in the jurisdiction of Sarband police station. He identified the victims as 42-year-old Saljeet Singh and 38-year-old Ranjeet Singh.
Khan termed the incident as target killing, saying the assailants used Kalashnikov and fled Batatal Bazar, the place where the incident happened, immediately. The Police has started search operation for arrest of the killers, while the bodies were shifted to a nearby hospital for postmortem and then handed over to the bereaved families.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister took notice of the incident and asked a report from KP Inspector General Police, Muazzam Jah Ansari.
Last year, the militant Islamic State killed 45-year-old Satnam Singh in Peshawar in another incident of violence against Sikhs in the province. Earlier Two members of the Sikh community were killed after unidentified assailants opened fire on them near the outskirts of Peshawar, police said on Sunday.
In a statement, Peshawar Capital City Police Office Ijaz Khan said that the incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Sarband police station. He also identified the victims as 42-year-old Suljeet Singh and 38-year-old Ranjeet Singh, adding that they owned spice shops in the Batatal locality. Police reached the scene soon after receiving information about the incident and shifted the bodies to the hospital for an autopsy, Khan said, adding that officials were also collecting evidence from the scene of the crime. “CCTV cameras from surrounding areas are also being checked,” he said, adding that a search operation had been launched in the area to nab the suspects who managed to escape.
“Those involved in the incident will soon be unmasked,” the officer said. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan took notice of the incident and order the KP Inspector General of Police to arrest the perpetrators. He added that the incident was an attempt to disrupt the law and order of Peshawar. Government officials and rights bodies voiced their shock and horror at the killings. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and members of his cabinet were among the first to issue condemnations.In a statement, PM Shehbaz told the chief minister to take steps to ensure the safety of the lives and the property of citizens, especially minorities. He also directed the KP CM to ensure the arrest of the suspects and punish them according to the law. He held “Pakistan’s enemies” responsible for the incident and vowed to “eradicate them from the face of the earth”. He also assured the victims’ families of the federal government’s full cooperation in arresting the suspects.
