After Hindu doctor, Sikh trader shot dead amid targeted attacks on minorities in Pakistan

Unidentified attackers on Friday shot dead a trader belonging to the Sikh community in Peshawar’s Dir Colony on the Ring Road in the limits of the Rahman Baba Police Station, Pakistan based The News International newspaper reported.

An official of the Peshawar Police said the Sikh man, Diyal Singh, 40, was running a grocery store and belonged to the newly merged Khyber district. The official said attackers came on a motorbike and opened fire on Diyal Singh in his shop and escaped. The senior police officials reached the spot. The pieces of evidence, including the empties fired from the 30-bore pistol, were collected from the spot, according to The News International.

The closed-circuit television camera footage was collected from the area as well.

According to The News International, a couple of Sikhs were among the few minority members who came under attack in Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since an increase in terrorist attacks in the last few years.

The Khorasan Diary recently reported that a Christian man was shot dead in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

According to police, Kashif Maseeh was gunned down by armed motorcyclists on his doorstep.
Minorities have faced continuous violent attacks in Pakistan. A Pakistani Hindu doctor Dr Birbal Genani became a victim of target killing near Layari in Karachi while returning home from his clinic on Thursday, Dunya News reported.

Meanwhile, Sindhi Hindus carried 15 points to the Sindh government to ensure the protection of Hindus in the province.

On March 30, 2023, Pakistan Darawar Itehad Organization organized a protest from the Karachi Press Club to the Sindh Assembly – the large people of Hindus joined the protest, most of them were the victim families whose daughters were forcibly converted to Islam, killing and kidnapping of Hindus and the encroachment of the land and temples, reported The Rise News.

In Sindh, the cry has been heard regarding forced conversion since 2012, not only in the Sindh province including Punjab province and other areas of the country. Still, the state has not safeguarded Non-Muslims – indeed, the lack of safety led them to protest and make the ruling government listen to their problems.

Words of forced conversion on placards were written and later, protesters were asked to hide the word, ‘forced.’ The protesters were not allowed to carry their placards with slogans, which carried the word “Forced” – Forced conversion.

Protesters realized that neither Human Rights organizations, nor activists joined their protest against forced conversion. However, Pakistan Hindu Council and Pakistan Hindu Panchayat did not show up their presence, reported The Rise News.

Moreover, a Human Rights Observer 2023 fact sheet has underscored the increase in religious content against minorities in curriculum and textbooks during the year 2022 in Pakistan, reported Dawn.
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) on Thursday issued the “Human Rights Observer 2023”, an annual fact sheet. The report covers five key issues impacting religious minorities including discrimination in the education system, the prevalence of forced faith conversions, abuse of blasphemy laws, the establishment of the National Commission for Minorities and jail remissions for minority prisoners.

Also read: Targeted killing of Hindu doctor highlights systematic attacks on minorities in Pakistan