Cold-blooded: Sikh elderly couple shot dead in Pak gurudwara, assailants on the run
An elderly Sikh couple was gunned down in a gurudwara in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Reacting to it, the Akal Takht and the BJP condemned the killing. The BJP said that the killing is a "grim reminder of the insecurity, fear, and persecution faced by religious minorities in Pakistan".
An elderly Sikh couple was shot dead by unknown assailants inside a gurdwara in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday. The two people who were killed were the caretakers of the gurdwara in Babu Mohalla, Khwaja Ganj Bazaar in Mardan. They were 70-year-old Jagannath and his wife, Asma Wanti.
The assailants, who entered the gurdwara (60 km north-west of the provincial capital Peshawar), and brutally shot the couple, are on the run. A police guard had been assigned for the security of the gurdwara but was absent at the time of the attack. CCTV cameras had reportedly been installed at the premises, but investigators found that the digital video recorder was not functioning, according to the Karachi-based English daily, The News International.
Reacting to the incident, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders condemned the killing and raised concerns over the "safety of religious minorities" in Pakistan.
Akal Takht Jathedar (head priest) Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj condemned the killing inside the gurdwara in Pakistan. He asked Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Khan Afridi to take strict notice of the matter, immediately arrest those responsible, and ensure severe punishment for the culprits, reported news agency PTI.
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh condemned the killings and said that Pakistan has consistently failed to uphold commitments made under the Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950, which guaranteed the protection of minorities in both India and Pakistan.
BJP national spokesperson RP Singh condemned the crime and said that the killings were "yet another grim reminder of the insecurity, fear, and persecution faced by religious minorities in Pakistan".
"Pakistan once again stands exposed before the world," Singh wrote on X
Former Pakistani MP Bushra Gohar, calling it a "cold-blooded killing", said that "federal and provincial governments have failed to protect citizens in the province". The Awami National Party leader condemned the killing and demanded "a transparent and impartial investigation", saying that "the criminals must be brought to justice".
"The worsening security situation has turned [Khyber] Pakhtunkhwa into a killing field. People are being killed with impunity while those in power remain silent," Gohar wrote on X.
ELDERLY SIKH COUPLE SHOT DEAD IN PAKISTAN
According to Pakistan-based newspaper Dawn, "an unidentified assailant" opened fire inside a gurdwara in Mardan district, killing a man and his wife who were serving as caretakers of the place of worship. Police and Rescue 1122 officials reached the scene shortly after the incident and launched an investigation.
Pakistani newspaper, The News International, identified the victims as 70-year-old Jagannath and his wife Asma Wanti.
The report said the "assailants entered the gurdwara" located in Babu Mohalla Khawaja Ganj Bazaar, within the limits of the Hoti Police Station, and opened fire before fleeing the scene.
Sources told Lahore-based daily, The Nation, that unknown accused entered the Sikh Gurdwara in a congested area of Mardan and opened fire inside the Gurdwara. The assailants managed to flee the scene after committing the crime.
The bodies of the couple were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Mardan, according to The News International.
Senior police officials, including Mardan District Police Officer Masood Ahmad and SSP (Investigations) Maria Mustafa, visited the crime scene and collected evidence. Police said investigations were underway from multiple angles and efforts were being made to identify and arrest those responsible.
The attack drew condemnation from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, who termed the killing as "tragic" and called for "swift justice".
"Strongly condemn the tragic killing of two members of the Sikh community, including an elderly couple, inside a Gurdwara in Mardan," Kundi wrote on X. He expressed condolences to the victims' family and the Sikh community and said, "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had always been a land of diversity, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence".
AKAL TAKHT AND THE BJP CONDEMN THE BRUTAL KILLING
The incident triggered sharp reactions from the Akal Takht and the BJP, both of which accused Pakistan of failing to ensure the "safety of minority communities".
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj strongly condemned the killing of Jagannath and Asma Wanti and called on Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take immediate action against those responsible.
In a statement, Gargajj said Sikhs were already a minority in Pakistan and that the killing of members of the community inside a gurdwara amounted to a grave act of oppression. He stressed that it was the responsibility of the Pakistani government to safeguard the lives, property, and religious institutions of minority communities.
"The incident once again raises a serious question about whether minorities in Pakistan are truly safe," he said, urging authorities to transparently disclose the motive behind the murder.
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh also condemned the killings, describing them as "barbaric and deeply disturbing". The Rajya Sabha MP alleged that the attack reflected Pakistan's continued failure to protect minorities despite assurances under the Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Chugh claimed that incidents involving "forced conversions, abductions, attacks on places of worship and violence against minority communities had become increasingly common in Pakistan".
He also highlighted the shrinking minority population in Pakistan, claiming that the share of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan had fallen from around 24% at the time of Partition to less than a per cent today.
Questioning whether minorities were being systematically targeted, Chugh sought the intervention of international authorities and demanded that the Pakistan government be held accountable, according to PTI.
BJP national spokesperson RP Singh amplified the criticism against Pakistan and called the killing of the couple "yet another grim reminder of the insecurity, fear, and persecution faced by religious minorities in Pakistan".
"A place of worship should be a sanctuary of peace, not a crime scene. Yet attacks on Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, and other minorities in Pakistan have become a recurring reality," Singh said in a post on X on Thursday.
Singh demanded that Pakistan disclose the motive behind the attack and explain what concrete measures it was taking to protect minority places of worship. He also linked the incident to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), arguing that the continued persecution of minorities in Pakistan vindicated India's decision to offer refuge to vulnerable communities from neighbouring countries.
"The bloodshed inside a Gurdwara is a stain on Pakistan's claims of protecting minorities. The world deserves answers, and the victims deserve justice," Singh said.
Pakistan's treatment of religious minorities has long-drawn criticism from international human rights organisations. Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Ahmadis, and Shia Muslims have faced discrimination, blasphemy-related prosecutions, forced conversions, and sectarian violence. Human Rights groups have also documented attacks on places of worship and the abduction and forced marriage of minority girls. Against this backdrop, the killing of the elderly Sikh couple inside a gurdwara in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has once again raised concerns about the safety and security of minority communities in Pakistan.
An elderly Sikh couple was shot dead by unknown assailants inside a gurdwara in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday. The two people who were killed were the caretakers of the gurdwara in Babu Mohalla, Khwaja Ganj Bazaar in Mardan. They were 70-year-old Jagannath and his wife, Asma Wanti.
The assailants, who entered the gurdwara (60 km north-west of the provincial capital Peshawar), and brutally shot the couple, are on the run. A police guard had been assigned for the security of the gurdwara but was absent at the time of the attack. CCTV cameras had reportedly been installed at the premises, but investigators found that the digital video recorder was not functioning, according to the Karachi-based English daily, The News International.
Reacting to the incident, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders condemned the killing and raised concerns over the "safety of religious minorities" in Pakistan.
Akal Takht Jathedar (head priest) Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj condemned the killing inside the gurdwara in Pakistan. He asked Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Khan Afridi to take strict notice of the matter, immediately arrest those responsible, and ensure severe punishment for the culprits, reported news agency PTI.
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh condemned the killings and said that Pakistan has consistently failed to uphold commitments made under the Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950, which guaranteed the protection of minorities in both India and Pakistan.
BJP national spokesperson RP Singh condemned the crime and said that the killings were "yet another grim reminder of the insecurity, fear, and persecution faced by religious minorities in Pakistan".
"Pakistan once again stands exposed before the world," Singh wrote on X
Former Pakistani MP Bushra Gohar, calling it a "cold-blooded killing", said that "federal and provincial governments have failed to protect citizens in the province". The Awami National Party leader condemned the killing and demanded "a transparent and impartial investigation", saying that "the criminals must be brought to justice".
"The worsening security situation has turned [Khyber] Pakhtunkhwa into a killing field. People are being killed with impunity while those in power remain silent," Gohar wrote on X.
ELDERLY SIKH COUPLE SHOT DEAD IN PAKISTAN
According to Pakistan-based newspaper Dawn, "an unidentified assailant" opened fire inside a gurdwara in Mardan district, killing a man and his wife who were serving as caretakers of the place of worship. Police and Rescue 1122 officials reached the scene shortly after the incident and launched an investigation.
Pakistani newspaper, The News International, identified the victims as 70-year-old Jagannath and his wife Asma Wanti.
The report said the "assailants entered the gurdwara" located in Babu Mohalla Khawaja Ganj Bazaar, within the limits of the Hoti Police Station, and opened fire before fleeing the scene.
Sources told Lahore-based daily, The Nation, that unknown accused entered the Sikh Gurdwara in a congested area of Mardan and opened fire inside the Gurdwara. The assailants managed to flee the scene after committing the crime.
The bodies of the couple were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Mardan, according to The News International.
Senior police officials, including Mardan District Police Officer Masood Ahmad and SSP (Investigations) Maria Mustafa, visited the crime scene and collected evidence. Police said investigations were underway from multiple angles and efforts were being made to identify and arrest those responsible.
The attack drew condemnation from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, who termed the killing as "tragic" and called for "swift justice".
"Strongly condemn the tragic killing of two members of the Sikh community, including an elderly couple, inside a Gurdwara in Mardan," Kundi wrote on X. He expressed condolences to the victims' family and the Sikh community and said, "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had always been a land of diversity, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence".
AKAL TAKHT AND THE BJP CONDEMN THE BRUTAL KILLING
The incident triggered sharp reactions from the Akal Takht and the BJP, both of which accused Pakistan of failing to ensure the "safety of minority communities".
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj strongly condemned the killing of Jagannath and Asma Wanti and called on Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take immediate action against those responsible.
In a statement, Gargajj said Sikhs were already a minority in Pakistan and that the killing of members of the community inside a gurdwara amounted to a grave act of oppression. He stressed that it was the responsibility of the Pakistani government to safeguard the lives, property, and religious institutions of minority communities.
"The incident once again raises a serious question about whether minorities in Pakistan are truly safe," he said, urging authorities to transparently disclose the motive behind the murder.
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh also condemned the killings, describing them as "barbaric and deeply disturbing". The Rajya Sabha MP alleged that the attack reflected Pakistan's continued failure to protect minorities despite assurances under the Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Chugh claimed that incidents involving "forced conversions, abductions, attacks on places of worship and violence against minority communities had become increasingly common in Pakistan".
He also highlighted the shrinking minority population in Pakistan, claiming that the share of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan had fallen from around 24% at the time of Partition to less than a per cent today.
Questioning whether minorities were being systematically targeted, Chugh sought the intervention of international authorities and demanded that the Pakistan government be held accountable, according to PTI.
BJP national spokesperson RP Singh amplified the criticism against Pakistan and called the killing of the couple "yet another grim reminder of the insecurity, fear, and persecution faced by religious minorities in Pakistan".
"A place of worship should be a sanctuary of peace, not a crime scene. Yet attacks on Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, and other minorities in Pakistan have become a recurring reality," Singh said in a post on X on Thursday.
Singh demanded that Pakistan disclose the motive behind the attack and explain what concrete measures it was taking to protect minority places of worship. He also linked the incident to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), arguing that the continued persecution of minorities in Pakistan vindicated India's decision to offer refuge to vulnerable communities from neighbouring countries.
"The bloodshed inside a Gurdwara is a stain on Pakistan's claims of protecting minorities. The world deserves answers, and the victims deserve justice," Singh said.
Pakistan's treatment of religious minorities has long-drawn criticism from international human rights organisations. Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Ahmadis, and Shia Muslims have faced discrimination, blasphemy-related prosecutions, forced conversions, and sectarian violence. Human Rights groups have also documented attacks on places of worship and the abduction and forced marriage of minority girls. Against this backdrop, the killing of the elderly Sikh couple inside a gurdwara in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has once again raised concerns about the safety and security of minority communities in Pakistan.
