A Sikh shopkeeper was shot dead in Peshawar in Pakistan on Saturday, in second such attack in the last two days.
The man, identified as 32-year-old Manmohan Singh was gunned down in Rashidgarhi Bazaar of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) raising questions about the safety of members of the minority community in the neighbouring country.
Earlier on Friday, a Sikh shopkeeper, identified as Tarlok Singh, was shot at by unidentified men in Peshawar, but had managed to survive.
Manmohan Singh ran a grocery store in Rashid Garhi in Peshawar and was the sole breadwinner for his family, United Sikhs, a humanitarian group, said on Twitter.
**We are deeply saddened to hear about the cold-blooded murder of Manmohan Singh in Peshawar, Pakistan today.** Manmohan Singh was a Sikh man who ran a grocery store in Rashid Garhi, Peshawar. He was the sole breadwinner for his family. He is survived by his wife, a child,… pic.twitter.com/V3EN5s0qRX
— UNITED SIKHS (@unitedsikhs) June 24, 2023
The incident happened when Manmohan was on his way home after closing his shop. Two motorbike-borne assailants first followed him and then opened fire at him, after which he died on the spot. He is survived by his wife, a child, elderly parents, a sister and a disabled brother.
United Sikhs said that they will be meeting the Pakistan consulate with other groups to seek the state department’s intervention to protect the rights of minorities in Pakistan.
“We are appalled by these targeted attacks on Sikh men in Pakistan. These attacks are not only horrific, but they are also a violation of human rights. We call on the Pakistani government to do everything in its power to bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice,” the group said.
“This pattern is very scary and seems to be part of a nefarious conspiracy. Sikhs have lived as a minority in Pakistan in peace since 1947. All of a sudden, we have these deadly attacks on hard-working Sikhs? Who is behind them? What is the message?” the group added calling the for an investigation on an emergency basis.
Around 300 Sikh families, mostly Pashtun Sikh, are currently living in colonies in Peshawar. The community members have been living under the constant threat of violence as they are targeted multiple times by gunmen in the recent years.