Destroying harmony

It is ironic that a man who had for most of his adult life worked for religious harmony, as a member of the Peshawar Peace Committee and a founding member of the Pakistan Inter-Faith Harmony group, should die as a result of violence directed against him, presumably because of his belief. Charanjeet Singh, 42, a Sikh activist who had worked in Peshawar for a reduction in religious tensions and was also a highly respected member of the local community both as a businessman and as a minority leader, was killed on Tuesday by unidentified gunmen who opened fire on him in his shop at Scheme Chowk in Peshawar. He will be buried in Nizampur, Attock. The killing adds to the violence based around religion which has already torn the country apart. Charanjeet Singh is not the first member of his community to be targeted. In September 2014, another Sikh trader was killed in the Nothia area of Peshawar, again by unidentified persons. Police in the city say Charanjeet had no personal or business enmity. It is also sad that the highly respected activist who died far too young had moved to Peshawar from the Kurram Agency in 1983, presumably to escape the strife that had wrecked the area. The (now formal) tribal areas of Pakistan once had a thriving Sikh business community which has been decimated by violence and threats with many forced to flee the region.

It is tragic that a country whose founder had pledged a safe homeland for all persons regardless of their beliefs, and promised them the right to practise their religion in peace should face a time when no member of a minority community can be guaranteed safety or security of life. Charanjeet Singh was among those who had contributed immensely to building bridges between people of different religious groups in the country. His brutal death will also further damage confidence among the 20,000 or so Sikhs estimated to live in Pakistan. The group was, oddly enough, not included in the population census. They have, however, contributed to business in many parts of the country and consistently maintained a lower profile in order to ensure their trade was not harmed. Charanjeet was perhaps targeted because of the work he did. It is imperative that his killers be identified and punished so that the growing since of disillusionment among minority groups can be turned into some sense of hope for the future.