On Sunday, Dawn reported that two Sikh men were shot dead in broad daylight by unidentified assailants in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

The murdered men, Suljeet Singh, 42, and Ranjeet Singh, 38, ran spice shops in the Batalal neighborhood, according to Peshawar Capital City Police Office Ijaz Khan.

Officials have transferred the victims' remains to a local hospital for an autopsy and are currently collecting evidence at the murder site. "CCTV cameras in neighboring areas are also being inspected," Khan stated. Those engaged in the event will be identified shortly.

A search team has been assembled to locate the fleeing suspects.

The two men were seated at their stores in the Batta Dal Chowk section of the Sarband neighborhood on Sunday when two unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle approached and shot them to death, according to The Indian Express. No organization has claimed responsibility for the killings.

In Peshawar, members of the Sikh community demonstrated against the deaths.

Leaders denounce the occurrence.

Multiple political heavyweights, including the prime minister of Pakistan, denounced the incident. "Pakistan belongs to all its people," tweeted the prime minister. "I have ordered a high-level investigation to determine the facts. The murderers will be apprehended and given harsh punishment. Sincere condolences to the departed families."

According to Dawn, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan instructed the police to take stern action against the perpetrators. He referred to the murder as a plot to destroy interfaith harmony in the province.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan stated that the attack on Sunday was not an isolated incident and demanded that the perpetrators be arrested promptly. The panel tweeted, "The government must clarify that violence against religious minorities will not be tolerated."

The incident was also denounced by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and previous state chief minister Amarinder Singh.

Mann recommended that Foreign Minister S Jaishankar take note of the situation and bring it up with Pakistan to secure the protection of Hindu and Sikh minorities. At the same time, Singh demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi take note of the murders.

This incident follows a pattern of killings of minority groups throughout the nation. According to PTI, unidentified gunmen shot and killed a well-known Sikh "Hakeem" (Unani medicine practitioner) in his Peshawar clinic in September.

In the year 2020, news anchor Ravinder Singh was murdered in Peshawar. Charanjit Singh, a prominent member of the Sikh community, was murdered by unidentified persons in the city in 2018.

According to PTI, Soren Singh, a member of the National Assembly for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was also murdered in Peshawar in 2016. Up to 15,000 Sikhs reside in Peshawar, and they are predominantly engaged in business operations, and some operate pharmacies.

According to the 2017 census, Hindus comprise the most significant religious minority in Pakistan, followed by Christians. Additionally, the Sikhs, Ahmadis, and Parsis are substantial religious minorities in Pakistan.