June 17, 2026
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
An elderly Sikh couple who served as caretakers of a gurdwara in Mardan were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen on Wednesday June 17, in what authorities are treating as a targeted attack on the religious site.
The deceased were identified as 70-year-old Jagannath and his wife, Asa Wanti, who were responsible for the security and care of the gurdwara. The couple lived at the gurdwara premises, as is customary for caretakers of such religious sites.
The incident occurred in the Babu Mohallah locality of Mardan, approximately 60 km northwest of Peshawar. The gurdwara is situated in the Khwaja Ganj Bazaar area of the city.
How the attack unfolded
According to information, assailants opened fire inside the gurdwara, resulting in the deaths of Jagannath and his wife. The assailants managed to flee the scene after committing the crime. A Rescue 1122 medical team shifted the bodies to the District Headquarters Hospital for legal formalities and further investigation. Accroding to a relative of the couple, the attack was completely unprecedented.
“We have around 50 to 52 homes of Sikh families surrounding the gurdwara in Mardan,” A* told Voicepk in an interview and on condition of anonymity. “But we have excellent and cordial relations with all the people living around us who belong to different faiths. In the history of Mardan this is the first incident of violence of this kind. Everyone is in shock as to how this even happened.”
He specified that there was nothing in the background for it to be an act of enmity. “Of course there must be some reason which we will only know once the investigation brings things to light. But for example there was no politics involved, or anything else.”
The couple had devoted their lives to taking care of the gurdwara for the last 20 years.
The relative A* said that at the time the incident occurred there were only three people – the caretaker couple and a third man who was reciting the Guru Granth Sahib. He said that the man was unaware of the shooting as the couple were elsewhere within the building when it happened.
“Such incidents have taken place in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, in Buner for example, but that has been a long time ago,” he said. “That was because of a political reason. In Peshawar too it has happened. But never in Mardan.”
Till now, there has been no official statement released by the authorities in KP. Voicepk also tried to contact the Punjab Minister of Minority Affairs, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, who is from the Sikh community however received no response.
I strongly condemn the tragic killing of a Sikh sevadar couple who were shot dead by unidentified assailants after they entered a Gurdwara in Mardan.
Targeting minority communities through acts of terrorism is a malicious attempt to undermine Pakistan’s social harmony and…
— Dr Saveera Parkash – Daughter of Buner (@saveera_parkash) June 17, 2026June 17, 2026 — Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Sad News
Unknown terrorists opened fire on a Sikh worshipper in a Gurdwara in Mardan city,
According to rescue sources,70 yrs old Jagannath & his wife were shot dead by unknown persons in Babu Mohalla of Khawaja Ganj Bazaar@PakPMO @MohsinnaqviC42 @DCPeshawar @EU_Commission @hrw pic.twitter.com/NYi9SZ7DeW
— Radesh Singh Tony (@aoepoeRadesh) June 17, 2026
Police response
Police said efforts were underway to ascertain the motive behind the attack and nab those involved. Senior law enforcement moved quickly to the site — District Police Officer (DPO) Masood Ahmed reached the crime scene soon after the incident, along with SSP Investigation Maria Mustafa, ASP City, SHO Hoti, and other senior officers to examine evidence. DPO Ahmed later also visited the District Headquarters Hospital and briefed officials there. As of now, the accused remain at large. Authorities have pledged that all available resources are being deployed to track down those responsible.
In the meantime, no group has claimed responsibility for the killing, and neither has any motive been officially established. Police are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry simultaneously, however no arrests have been made.
The story was picked up within hours by wire services and major regional outlets across South Asia. The Tribune India — one of the subcontinent’s oldest English-language newspapers — tagged the story under #HateCrime, #PakistanViolence, and ReligiousPersecution, reflecting how the wider Sikh community and Indian media are contextualising the killing — not as an isolated crime, but as part of a sustained pattern of violence against religious minorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Broader Pattern
This attack is the latest in a long line of targeted killings of Sikhs in KP. In May 2022, two Sikh shopkeepers, Saljeet Singh and Ranjeet Singh, were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Peshawar’s Sarband area by two bike-borne assailants who fled after the attack. No group claimed responsibility for that killing either. That incident triggered an international diplomatic response: India registered a strong protest with Pakistan over the continued targeting of minority community members, and the SGPC — the apex gurdwara management body — demanded Pakistan ensure the security and safety of Sikhs living there.
The Mardan attack follows an almost identical pattern: an unguarded religious site, a defenceless minority individual or couple as victims, assailants who vanish without a trace, and a motive that investigators struggle to pin down publicly.