PESHAWAR: A renowned Sikh religious leader and rights activist was on Tuesday gunned down here in Pakistan's northwestern city, according to a media report.

Charnjit Singh, 52, was killed inside his shop in Scheme Chowk area in the outskirts of the city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Express Tribune reported.

"An attacker shot Singh inside his shop and escaped afterwards. He died on the spot," superintendent police Saddar Shaukat Khan.

It was not clear whether it was a target killing incident or a result of personal enmity.

The deceased had been residing in Peshawar for decades but his family hailed from Kurram Agency. He owned a store in the metropolis for quite a long time, the report said.

The murder caused panic among the minority community as several Sikhs have been killed in different parts of the city in the past.

Most of the Sikhs residing in Peshawar are those whose families previously resided in different parts of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) but shifted to Peshawar and started a business.