Two members of the Ahmadiyya community were shot dead in Punjab’s Mandi Bahauddin on Saturday, according to the police, with the primary suspect arrested soon after along with the alleged murder weapon.

According to an incident report issued today, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the victims were a 50-year-old man and another 25-year-old man, who were shot by unknown armed assailants.

It said the former was on his way back from offering prayers while the latter was on his way to the market when they were shot dead in the Saddullapur area of Phalia Police Circle.

Mandi Bahauddin District Police Officer (DPO) Ahmad Mohiuddin told Dawn.com that the main target killer was arrested along with the murder weapon from Saadullahpur, adding that he was involved in both shootings.

He said the suspect was transferred from Bhagat police station to the Saddar Circle police station under tight police security.

The report said that a large police force and DPO Mohiuddin were deployed at the scene after the incident and collected evidence from the crime scene.

It added that the police took both bodies into custody and moved them to the Phalia government hospital for a post-mortem analysis, after which they would be handed over to relatives.

It said the Punjab Forensic Science Agency was also notified about the incident.

Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar summoned a report on the incident from the Gujranwala regional police officer and ordered DPO Mohiuddin to form a special team to immediately arrest the culprits.

“The culprits should be immediately arrested and brought before the law. Appropriate punishment will be ensured,” IGP Anwar said.

“Ensuring justice for the bereaved families will be a priority,” he added.

Over the last few decades, Pakistan’s minority communities have borne the brunt of mob brutality, bomb attacks, arsons, lynchings and other forms of violence.

The president of the Ahmadiyya community in Bahawalpur’s Hasilpur district was shot dead by unknown assailants last month.

In March, police said they had arrested two suspected killers of a man belonging to the Ahmadiyya community.