Elderly Sikh Couple Shot Dead Inside Gurudwara In Pakistan; BJP Flags 'Minority Safety' Fears

Last Updated:June 18, 2026, 13:37 IST

The deceased couple, 70-year-old Jagannath and his wife, Asma Wanti, served as the caretakers of the Gurudwara in Babu Mohalla, Khwaja Ganj Bazar in Mardan

An elderly Sikh couple was shot dead by unidentified assailants inside the premises of a Gurudwara in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday.

The deceased couple, 70-year-old Jagannath and his wife, Asma Wanti, served as the caretakers of the Gurudwara in Babu Mohalla, Khwaja Ganj Bazar in Mardan, according to the Karachi-based English newspaper, The News International.

The assailants, who entered the Gurudwara and shot the couple, are currently at large. A police guard had been deployed to oversee the security of the premises but he was absent at the time of the attack, said the report.

CCTV camera were installed at the Gurudwara. However, investigators discovered that the digital video recorder was non-functional.

According to a report by The Dawn, police and rescue officials rushed to the spot shortly and initiated an investigation. However, the assailants had fled the scene after committing the crime.

The bodies of the deceased were later taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Mardan, according to The News International.

Mardan District Police Officer Masood Ahmad and SSP (Investigations) Maria Mustafa visited the crime scene to assess the situation and collect evidence.

At present, an investigation is underway into the matter.

Akal Takht, BJP Condemn Incident

The incident has triggered sharp reactions from both the Akal Takht –– the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs –– and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), both of which flagged the issue concerning the safety of minorities in Pakistan.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj strongly condemned the killing of the Sikh couple, demanding that Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government take immediate action against perpetrators.

“The incident once again raises a serious question about whether minorities in Pakistan are truly safe," he said in a statement.

BJP’s National General Secretary Tarun Chugh also condemned the killings and called them “deeply disturbing and barbaric".

In a conversation with the news agency ANI, Chugh accused the Pakistani government of “failing to protect minorities, especially Hindus and Sikhs".

“The Pakistan government has consistently failed to protect minorities, especially Hindus and Sikhs, despite the Nehru-Liaquat Pact of 1950, under which both India and Pakistan had guaranteed the safety and rights of minorities living in their respective countries", he said.

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