Ahmadiyya community leader murdered in Bahawalpur

LAHORE – A leader of Ahmadiyya community was gunned down by motorbike-borne assailants in Hasilpur Tehsil of Bahawalpur District on Monday.

Reports in local media said local president of Ahmadiyya community Tahir Iqbal comes under attack in early hours of Monday when he was out on morning walk.

Iqbal, 54, was taking stroll in Chak-84 when two bikers opened multiple gun fire at him, and he died on the spot.

His body was moved to morgue for autopsy while a case was registered against unidentified attackers.

A spokesperson for the minority community decried uptick in attacks and hatred faced by their community. He warned that such hostility could lead to irreversible damage.

The spokesperson also called for swift action to address the issue and demanded that those responsible for such acts be punished as per the book.

Bahawalpur's DPO Abbas Shah, told media that initial probe indicated Tahir Iqbal was murdered due to honor-related enmity. The senior police officer mentioned that the victim was a landlord, and was involved in a relationship with a woman from his locality, which led to threats from the woman's family in the past.