MARDAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Minister for Minority Affairs Adnan Qadri on Monday announced financial assistance for the families of victims in the recent Sikh couple murder case and pledged stronger security measures for minority places of worship across the province.
While addressing the media here on the occasion, the minister strongly condemned the murder in the Gurdwara and said it was “a deeply tragic matter” while pointing out that the perpetrator had been arrested within 24 hours.
The minister announced financial assistance of Rs2 million to the bereaved families and expressed sympathy with the Sikh community and assured all support from the government.
“Criminal activity has nothing to do with any religion and strict punishment would be ensured to the perpetrator under law,” he said, adding no politics would be allowed to be done around this incident.
He further announced that Rs4 million would be spent to repair and rehabilitate the Gurdwara, adding that the government would make sure to rehabilitate the damaged religious place.
Furthermore, it was made public that a policeman had been involved in the matter, and the accused had already been arrested. He further made it clear that the man had not been on duty during the crime but had used a personal weapon.
Dismissing the idea of making political points about the matter, he urged everyone to stick to the truth.
Moreover, he assured that the safety of the minorities and their places of worship is one of the top priorities of the provincial government, and there will be zero tolerance for crimes committed against the minorities.
“The law applies to everyone whether in Mardan or any other city of KP,” he said.
The minister assured that security would continue to be strictly maintained for the safety of the minorities.
