PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) – A Pakistani Muslim youth shot dead an Ahmadi homeopathic doctor at his clinic in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Thursday, police and a minority spokesman said.
The attacker on dr. Abdul Qadir, 65, was immediately captured by residents and handed over to local police.
Saleem Uddin, a spokesman for the Ahmadi community, issued a statement condemning the attack, saying members of their community were constantly being targeted because of their faith.
Raiz Khan, a police officer, said they were still questioning the man who shot the doctor dead. The motive behind the murder was not yet known.
The Ahmadi faith was established on the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, whose followers believe he was the messiah promised by the Prophet Muhammad. The Pakistani parliament declared Ahmadis a non-Muslim in 1974. An Ahmadi could face up to ten years in prison for claiming to be a Muslim.
Since then, members of the community have been repeatedly targeted by Islamic extremists in the Muslim majority.