Photo credit; Lalatop
An Afghan cleric was shot down by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s Peshawar, according to police.
ANI reports that this comes amid the rising tensions as Afghan refugees face deportations and harassment in Pakistan.
Khaama Press reported that police identified the victim as Adam Khan, an Afghan Imam from Paktia province. He was attacked while returning home on his motorcycle near a mosque and died instantly.
While investigators have collected evidence from the scene and launched a probe, no group has claimed responsibility for the killing. A police officer told reporters that the motive remains unclear. Residents said that refugees in the area are facing mounting fear and uncertainty as Pakistan continues a relentless crackdown and deportation campaign on Afghans.
According to Khaama Press, the killing has deepened tensions between the refugee Afghan community and local authorities. Observers have warned that continued hostility and forced returns could further destabilise the already fragile humanitarian situation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier. Organizations and the UN agencies have accused Pakistani authorities of forcibly deporting thousands of Afghans. Several reports have emerged of harassment, arbitrary arrests, and mistreatment in detention of Afghans that have drawn international condemnation.
Several deportees told aid groups of how they were beaten, extorted, or stripped of belongings before being sent across the border. despite such violations, Pakistan says the repatriations target only undocumented migrants and insists the process is lawful.
Meanwhile, the UN has urged Islamabad to suspend deportations and guarantee protect ion for refugees. It said many face grave risks if returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
