Two Sikhs shot dead in Peshawar

• PM Shehbaz Sharif condemns killing of Sikhs and orders KP chief minister to ensure immediate arrest and punishment of culprits
• Police say assailants arrived on a motorcycle and fled after shooting Sikhs dead.
• KP CM Mehmood Khan declares incident a conspiracy to destabilise Peshawar's inter-religious harmony.

PESHAWAR: In a gruesome incident in Peshawar, two Sikh men were gunned down by unidentified armed men.

Police said that the assailants arrived on a motorcycle and fled after shooting the Sikhs dead, adding that a search operation has been launched to trace the culprits.

The deceased were identified as Ranjeet Singh and Kanwaljeet Singh.

Speaking to Geo News, Saddar SP Aqiq Hussain said that the Counter-Terrorism Department registered a case against the murder of Sikh men.

"The incident appears to be a terrorist attack. The CCTV footage will be acquired and the suspects will be arrested soon," SP Hussain said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident and directed the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure immediate arrest and punishment of the culprits.

He also urged the chief minister to ensure steps for the protection of the lives and properties of the citizens, particularly non-Muslims.

The prime minister expressed sympathies with the bereaved families of the deceased and observed that enmity with Pakistan was the reason behind this act of terrorism.

He expressed his resolve to eliminate the enemies of the country and assured the bereaved families of complete support from the federal government.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan also ordered immediate action to arrest the murderers.

Declaring the incident a "conspiracy to destabilise Peshawar's environment and inter-faith harmony", Khan assured justice to the affected families.

"The provincial government will not let such bids harm the inter-religious harmony be successful," the chief minister said.

'KP govt failed to protect minorities': Rana Sanaullah

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah sought a report from the KP chief secretary and inspector general of police.

"The KP government has terribly failed at protecting the minorities," Sanaullah said, indicating past incidents of violence against Sikh citizens in KP.

He urged law enforcement agencies and the provincial government to ensure the security of minorities and assured assistance from the federal government for the arrest of the culprits.

'Attack on Pakistan': Peshawar CCPO

Peshawar CCPO Aijaz Khan said that "the attack on Ranjeet and Kanwaljeet is an attack on Pakistan."

He said that none of the deceased had any enmity with anyone, adding that "anti-state elements will not be spared under any circumstances" and the culprits will be arrested soon.

He further stated that there was a general threat to minorities, but not to any specific minority group.

Moreover, the All Pakistan Ulema Council (APUC) also condemned the murder. APUC's head Tahir Ashrafi said that the Peshawar administration should ensure the protection of non-Muslim citizens and arrest the murderers of Ranjeet and Kanwaljeet.

— With additional input from APP.