Spokesman: Muslim youth kills Ahmadi physician in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A Pakistani Muslim youth shot and killed an Ahmadi homeopathic doctor at his clinic in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Thursday, the police and a spokesman for the minority group said.

The attacker on Dr. Abdul Qadir, 65, was immediately caught by residents and handed over to the local police.

Saleem Uddin, a spokesman for Ahmadi community, released a statement condemning the attack and saying that members of their community were being constantly targeted because of their faith.

Raiz Khan, a police official, said they were still questioning the man who shot and killed the physician. The motive behind the killing was still not 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 that was promised by the Prophet Muhammad. Pakistan’s parliament declared Ahmadis non-Muslims in 1974. An Ahmadi can get 10 years in prison for claiming to be a Muslim.

Since then, members of the community have repeatedly been targeted by Islamic extremists in the Muslim-majority nation.