PESHAWAR, Jan 25: Amnesty International has expressed concern over the killing of a writer in Mingora allegedly because of his writings and has asked the provincial government to safeguard the rights of its people.

According to a press release issued on Friday, Amnesty International said it was deeply concerned over the killing of Fazal Wahab, a resident of Mingora, allegedly because of his writings about political issues.

The shooting took place on Tuesday while he was in a shop. The shopkeeper and his assistant were also shot dead.

Local observers believed that Mr Wahab was killed because he had written several controversial books in which he was critical of the clerics in Pakistan.

There were reports that the contents of his forthcoming book “Mullah Ka Anjam” (The Fate of the Mullah) included serious allegations of criminal activities against close relatives of the local political leaders. Amnesty International urged the provincial government to bring the suspected perpetrators to justice.