PESHAWAR: Unidentified motorcyclists shot a priest dead and injured his companion in Peshawar on Sunday, sparking protests from the city’s religious minority.
The incident, which took place in the Chamkani Ring Road area, also sparked fears of targeted killings and terrorism resurging in the provincial capital. It is worth noting here that previously, police personnel as well as some members of religious minorities have been targeted in the city.
According to officers at the Chamkani Police Station, Pastor William Siraj, a resident of Kohati, was returning home via Ring Road with his friend Patrick, when two unidentified persons on a motorcycle approached his car near Madina Market and opened fire at him.
Pastor William could not survive the attack while Patrick sustained injuries.
As soon as the incident was reported, a heavy contingent of police rushed to the spot. Later, after postmortem examination, they handed over the deceased’s body to his heirs.
A police investigation team gathered evidence from the crime scene and recorded statements of eyewitnesses.
Members of the Christian community also gathered at the scene and protested the priest’s killing. They demanded immediate arrest of his murderers.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mehmood Khan also took notice of the incident and sought a report from the police.
CCPO Abbas Ahsan also confirmed to the media that the priest was killed by two assailants on a motorcycle. One of them was wearing a helmet while the other was wearing a headscarf, he added.
The police officer said that terrorists were looking for ‘soft targets’, and the authorities have already traced elements involved in targeted killings of minority community members and taken action against them. He added that elements involved in this incident will also be traced and exposed soon.
The CCPO said that they were looking into data, including geo-fencing, to reach the culprits.
The incident also drew condemnation from Christian religious leaders, including National Minorities Commission member Albert David, who not only condemned the attack, but demanded of the inspector general of police (IGP) to immediately investigate the incident and arrest the culprits.
He also called on the government to ensure the safety of Christian institutions and leaders in view of the “rising tide of terrorism”, and reiterated the need for unity to defeat “enemies of Pakistan and peace”