India has registered a strong protest over the killing of two Sikh traders in Pakistan's Peshawar town and asked the Shehbaz Sharif government to discharge its responsibilities and ensure the safety, security and well-being of the country's minority communities.

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The two Sikh businessmen -- Ranjit Singh and Kuljit Singh -- who were engaged in the grocery business at the Bada Bazaar in the Sarband area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province's Peshawar district, were gunned down on Sunday by unidentified persons.

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The deceased traders were inside their shops when miscreants fired upon them.

In response to a media query, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We have seen the reports on the brutal killing of two Sikh traders by unidentified armed men in Peshawar. Sadly, this is not the first such case or a rare occurrence."

"We have registered our strong protest with the Government of Pakistan on continued targeting of members of the minority community in Pakistan," he said.

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India has also called upon the Pakistani authorities to sincerely probe the matter and take stringent action against those responsible for this deplorable incident.

Political leaders in Punjab and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee have also expressed grief over the incident.

SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the Shehbaz Sharif government has failed to ensure the safety of life and property of minority Sikhs in Pakistan and such incidents are happening time and again, but no justice is ever delivered.

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While condemning the heinous act, Punjab Chief Minster Bhagwant Mann requested Foreign Minister S Jaishankar to speak to Pakistan.

"I strongly condemn the gruesome killing of two Sikh youths in Peshawar Pakistan. I also request our Foreign Minister to speak to Pakistan to raise the concern and ensure the safety of Hindu and Sikh minorities residing in Pakistan," he said in a Twitter post.

In another Twitter post, senior BJP leader and former president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, "Tragic & unfortunate! 2 Sikhs, Ranjit Singh and Kuldeep Singh shot dead by armed men in Peshawar today. Such a dastardly attack has spread panic among minority Sikhs in Pak. I urge Dr S Jaishankar to take up the issue of the safety of Sikhs with his counterparts in the Pakistan government."

Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said, "Another killing of Sikhs in Pakistan. 2 shopkeepers, Ranjeet Singh & Saljeet Singh shot dead in Peshawar. This is highly condemnable. I have always said that the Pakistan government only does lip service to Sikhs without ensuring their security. Request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take serious note."

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