A Pakistani man is facing murder charges after allegedly shooting a community WhatsApp group administrator who had removed him from the chat, police reported on Saturday.
The victim, Mushtaq Ahmed, was fatally shot on Thursday evening in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a region near the Afghanistan border known for sectarian tensions.
Authorities have identified the suspect only as Ashfaq, who has been officially charged with the killing, according to police records reviewed by AFP and local law enforcement.
Reports indicate that Mushtaq removed Ashfaq from the WhatsApp group following a disagreement. According to a statement from Mushtaq’s brother, the two had planned to meet to resolve their differences, but Ashfaq allegedly showed up armed and opened fire, killing Mushtaq.
Police documents suggest that Ashfaq acted out of anger after being removed from the group.
Incidents like this are often fueled by the easy availability of firearms, deep-rooted tribal customs, and sometimes weak law enforcement in the region.
