An Afghan cleric was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s Peshawar, police said, as tensions rise amid deportations and harassment of Afghan refugees.
An Afghan cleric was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Friday, police said, as concerns grow over violence and intimidation targeting Afghan refugees.
Police identified the victim as Adam Khan, an Afghan imam from Paktia province, who was attacked while returning home on his motorcycle near the Raza Khan Maryamzai Mosque. He died instantly, officers said.
Investigators have collected evidence from the scene and launched a probe, but no group has claimed responsibility for the killing. The motive remains unclear, a police official told reporters.
Residents say refugees in Raza Khan Maryamzai face mounting fear and uncertainty amid Pakistan’s ongoing crackdown and deportation campaign.
Rights organisations and U.N. agencies have accused Pakistani authorities of forcibly deporting thousands of Afghans, many of whom fled Taliban rule. Reports of harassment, arbitrary arrests, and mistreatment in detention have drawn international condemnation.
Several deportees have told aid groups they were beaten, extorted, or stripped of belongings before being sent across the border. Pakistan says the repatriations target only undocumented migrants and insists the process is lawful.
The killing of the Afghan cleric has deepened tensions between the refugee community and local authorities. Observers warn that continued hostility and forced returns could further destabilise the already fragile humanitarian situation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier.
The United Nations has urged Islamabad to suspend deportations and guarantee protection for refugees, saying many face grave risks if returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
