INDIA ASKS PAK TO PUNISH THOSE BEHIND KILLING OF TWO SIKH TRADERS

Agencies

NEW DELHI/PESHAWAR: India on Sunday asked Pakistan to sincerely investigate the “brutal” killing of two Sikh traders in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and take strict action against t hose responsible for the “shocking” and “deplorable” incident.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has registered its “strong protest” with Pakistan on the continued “targeting” of members of the minority community in that country.

India’s reaction came hours after Kanwaljeet Singh (42) and Ranjeet Singh (38) were shot dead by two bike-borne assailants in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Responding to media queries on the incident, Bagchi said India expects the Pakistan government to ensure the safety, security and well-being of its minority communities.

Meanwhile, the Islamic State’s Khorasan unit claimed via its propaganda news service ‘Amaaq’ that it carried out the attack targeting two Sikhs in Peshawar.

Suicide bomber kills six in northwest Pakistan

A suicide bombing near a security forces vehicle killed three soldiers and three children in northwest Pakistan on Sunday.

A military statement said the suicide bomber triggered his explosives-laden vest near a vehicle on security patrol in a village near the town of Mir Ali in the tribal district of North Waziristan.

The attack killed two soldiers in the vehicle on the spot and wounded another. Three children playing alongside the road were also critically wounded. All of the wounded were rushed to a hospital in a helicopter but none survived, it said.