PESHAWAR: Unknown assailants gunned down provincial president of Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Fiqa Jafria (TNFJ) Sardar Ali Asghar on Mohammad Ali Johar road here on Tuesday, police said. A police official told Dawn that Mr Asghar, a businessman, was going to his shop when he was targeted in the congested bazaar. “His assassination seems to be a case of targeted killing,” he added.

Relatives of the deceased have registered an FIR in Khan Raziq police station against unknown attackers. The official said that Mr Asghar was walking towards his shop from his residence in Merweeha Street in Kochi bazaar when two armed men opened fire on him.

SSP Najeebur Rehman told Dawn that it was too early to say anything about motives for the killing of Mr Asghar. Asked whether it was a case of targeted killing, he said that the investigation was in its initial stage and he could not say anything about it.

The SSP said that shopkeepers and people present at the crime scene were reluctant to cooperate with the police and provide information about appearance of the killers.

He said that two suspects involved in attacks on police and other crime cases had been arrested in Mathani area a few days ago. He said that several suspected people had also been arrested in the current murder case.

Meanwhile, hundreds of TNFJ activists staged a protest demonstration at Kohati Chowk to condemn the killings of Shia people in the city. The protesters, carrying the coffin of the deceased and holding placards, also chanted slogans against the government.

Speaking on the occasion, they demanded security for Shia community leaders. Addressing the protesters, the speakers, including Maulana Syed Hussain Muqadasi and Syed Bu Ali Shah, said that three persons of Shia community had been killed within the last one month, while police failed to arrest the criminals.

They said that Shias and Sunnis were not involved in sectarian killings rather a third party was hatching conspiracies to pit the two communities against each other.

Meanwhile, according to APP, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police arrested 37 proclaimed offenders and recovered a huge cache of arms on Tuesday during search operations in different areas of the province.

The KP police arrested 37 proclaimed offenders and recovered 31 pistols, six Kalashnikovs, 22 rifles, 824 cartridges and nine kilogrammes of hashish.