Pakistan: Protests Erupt After Two Sikh Traders Killed In Peshawar, Community Demands Protection

Two Sikh businessmen, Kanwaljeet Singh, 42, and Ranjeet Singh, 38, were shot dead by Islamic State terrorists in Peshawar on Sunday.

New Delhi: Protests erupted in northwest Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday over the brutal killing of two Sikh traders by the Islamic State terrorists. The Sikh community members were joined by local people who held a protest outside the Assembly building and blocked the main GT Road in the city, demanding protection for minorities in the Muslim-majority country, PTI reported.

Two Sikh businessmen, Kanwaljeet Singh, 42, and Ranjeet Singh, 38, were shot dead by Islamic State terrorists in Peshawar on Sunday. The victims were in the business of spices and had shops in the Bata Tal bazaar in Sarband, about 17 km from Peshawar. This is the second major attack on Sikhs in the last eight months. 

The Islamic State's Khorasan unit (ISKP) claimed via its propaganda news service 'Amaaq' that it carried out the attack targeting two Sikhs in Peshawar. The ISKP is an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) active in South Asia and Central Asia.

Police have registered a case of target killings and terrorism. The police chief of Peshawar, Ijaz Khan, has assured the Sikh community that they would get full police protection. Khan also informed that terrorists fled to the Bara area, where operations were underway to nab them.

About 15,000 Sikhs live in Peshawar, mostly in the Jogan Shah neighbourhood of the provincial capital Peshawar. Most of the members of the Sikh community in Peshawar are involved in business, while some also have pharmacies.

In September last year, a well-known Sikh hakeem' (Unani medicine practitioner) was shot dead by unidentified gunmen inside his clinic in Peshawar. At least 12 Sikhs have been killed during the last few years in the province.

Sunday's attack drew strong condemnation from India, which asked Pakistan to sincerely investigate the brutal killing of the two Sikh traders and take strict action against those responsible for the "shocking" and "deplorable" incident.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has registered its "strong protest" with Pakistan on the continued "targeting" of members of the minority community in that country.

Chief Minister of Punjab state Bhagwant Mann and leaders of other parties in the state also asked the Centre to raise with the neighbouring country the issue of the safety of minority community members living there.

According to the 2017 census, Hindus constitute the largest religious minority in Pakistan. Christians make up the second-largest religious minority. The Ahmadis, Sikhs and Parsis are also among the notable religious minorities in Pakistan.