A doctor belonging to the minority Ahmadi community was today shot dead by unidentified men in Pakistan's Punjab province in what his family alleged was a faith-based targeted attack, the second such incident in 10 days.
Ashfaq Ahmed, 68, was gunned down by motorcycle-borne assailants when he, along with his grandson and a friend, was going for Friday prayers in the provincial capital Lahore, his family told the police.
Ahmed, a veterinary doctor who also had a Phd in food and nutrition, died on the spot. The two other people accompanying him were unhurt in the attack.
A family member said Ahmed had no enmity with anyone and he was attacked because of his faith.
A case has been registered against unidentified men.
The attack came 10 days after Malik Saleem Latif, an advocate from the Ahmadi community who was a cousin of Nobel laureate Abdus Salam, was shot dead by unidentified men in Nankana Sahib in the province.
Militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhanghvi claimed the fatal attack on Latif, saying it has sent another "infidel" to hell.
"(Latif) was spreading his sect's message in the area and he was wanted by Mujahideen of LeJ," an LeJ spokesman has said on the social media.
Jamaat-e-Ahmadiya spokesperson Saleemuddin condemned the attack on Ahmed today, saying he was killed because of his faith. "Like advocate Latif, Ahmed has been targeted purely because of his faith and the government has failed to rein in those elements spreading hate openly against the Ahmadis."
Saleemuddin demanded the immediate arrest of the killers.
The Ahmadi community has repeatedly been targeted by Islamic extremists, who view them as heretics. Last year, at least six Ahmadis were killed because of their faith.
Pakistan's parliament declared the minority community non-Muslims in 1974. A decade later, they were banned from calling themselves Muslim. They are banned from preaching and even from traveling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
