LAHORE: A local leader of Ahmadiyya community was shot dead allegedly by unknown motorcyclists in Hasilpur, Bahawalpur district, early on Monday morning.

Ahmadiyya community Hasilpur tehsil President Tahir Iqbal, 54, was on his morning walk in Chak-84 when two motorcyclists stopped him on the road and shot at and injured him. Iqbal died on the spot due to two bullet injuries.

The police shifted the body to morgue for autopsy and registered a case against unidentified motorcyclists.

An Ahamdiyya community spokesperson said their community was facing hatred in Pakistan. He said the community had been seeking an appropriate action otherwise “this hatred could result in damage beyond repair”. He demanded swift action in this regard.

“We as members of the Ahmadiyya Community demand that the culprits involved in this heinous act should be punished according to the law and there must be a course of action so that these atrocities can come to a halt,” he said.

Bahawalpur DPO Syed Abbas Shah told Dawn that initial investigation suggested that the victim was shot dead for an honour-related matter. He said the deceased was a landlord, having an ‘affair’ with a woman of his locality.

The heirs of the woman, he claimed, had hurled threats of dire consequences several times in the past.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2024