Cold-blooded: Sikh elderly couple shot dead in Pak gurudwara, assailants on the run

An elderly Sikh couple was shot dead 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, 70-year-old Jagannath and his wife, Asma Wanti.

The assailants, who entered the gurdwara and brutally shot the couple, are on the run. Reacting to the incident, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have condemned the killing and raised concerns over the "safety of religious minorities" in Pakistan.

BJP 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 wront 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 , identified the victims as 70-year-old Jagannath and his wife Asma Wanti.

The report said the attackers 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 the Mardan and opened fire inside the Gurdwara. The assailants managed to flee the scene after committing the crime.

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