Sikh couple’s murder
Lahore, June 22: A Christian organisation in Pakistan on Monday demanded an investigation by a High Court judge into the killing of a Sikh couple inside the gurdwara in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after it was revealed that a police official is involved in the crime.
Sikh couple – Jagannath Singh, 70, and his wife Asma Wanti, 69 – serving as caretakers of a gurdwara in Mardan district, around 60 km from Peshawar, were shot dead by police constable Sher Shah last Wednesday. Shah had performed security duty outside this gurdwara for several months in the past.
“As the suspect happened to be a police official, the investigation into the murder of the Sikh couple in Mardan should be conducted by a high court judge to ensure transparency and the public should be informed of the facts,” Pakistan Masiha Millat Party head Aslam Pervaiz Sahotra said in a statement.
He said the brutal killing of an innocent and unarmed Sikh couple is a highly condemnable act, and merely arresting the suspect and sending him to jail is not sufficient.
Pakistan’s Punjab Minorities Minister Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora has urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to uncover the motives behind the brutal murder of a Sikh couple and to ensure the protection of minority communities and their places of worship throughout the province.
Earlier, addressing a press conference, Mardan District Police Officer (DPO) Masood Bangash said the suspect was traced with the help of CCTV footage and was arrested while wearing the same clothes he had on at the time of the incident. (PTI)
