A Pakistani man has been charged with murder after he allegedly shot the administrator of a community WhatsApp group who had removed him from it, police reported on Saturday.
Mushtaq Ahmed was killed by gunfire on Thursday evening in Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province that shares a border with Afghanistan and has a history of violent sectarian conflicts.
A man identified only as Ashfaq has been charged with the crime, according to police records reviewed by AFP and a local police official.
Following an argument, Mushtaq is said to have expelled Ashfaq from the WhatsApp group, based on a statement from Mushtaq’s brother obtained by AFP. According to him, both individuals had agreed to meet to resolve their differences, but he alleges that Ashfaq arrived armed and opened fire, resulting in his brother’s death.
Ashfaq’s anger was reportedly a “reaction to his expulsion from the WhatsApp group,” as stated in the brother’s declaration.
The prevalence of firearms, the impact of tribal traditions, and occasionally inadequate law enforcement contribute to the occurrence of such violent events.
