Hindu sanitation worker murdered in Pakistan for refusing to convert to Islam
Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan 
29 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Peshawar, Pakistan, a Hindu sanitation worker was shot dead for refusing to convert to Islam. The victim had reportedly been under pressure for several months to change his faith. The incident took place in the Postal Colony area of Peshawar when the 56-year-old sanitation worker was returning home after completing his duties at a government institution. He was attacked mid-route, and the assailant fled the scene after shooting him. The victim’s brother later lodged an FIR, stating that the accused, Mushtaq, had been pressuring his brother to convert to Islam for the past two to three months. After repeated refusals, the accused had killed him in retaliation. According to the victim’s other brother, he had heard from the deceased’s friends that he was being harassed for religious conversion, though the victim had never shared these concerns with his family. The sanitation worker left behind four children—two sons and two daughters. Following the incident, the police launched an investigation, and within 24 hours, the suspect was arrested in Charsadda. The suspect confessed to the crime during the initial inquiry.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the Hate Crime database in the tracker under the category- Attack resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked for refusal to convert. When there is pressure, threat, or coercion employed upon the Hindu victim to convert to a different religion, in several cases, the victim refuses to succumb to the pressure/threats. Once the victim refuses, the perpetrator proceeds to attack/assault the victim owing to his/her refusal to convert. In such cases, the pressure/threat/intimidation/coercion/violence itself is driven by animosity towards the victim’s Hindu faith. The violence then is another hate crime driven by the victim’s refusal to abandon his professed faith, Hinduism, and convert to the religion of a non-Hindu perpetrator. Since the victim’s faith is at the heart of the pressure to convert and the ensuing violence towards the victim, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The second category selected for the case is- Predatory Proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Murdered for refusing to convert. When there is pressure, threat or coercion employed upon the Hindu victim to convert to a different religion, in several cases, the victim refuses to succumb to the pressure/threats. Once the victim refuses, the perpetrator proceeds to murder the victim owing to his/her refusal to convert. In such cases, the pressure/threat/intimidation/coercion/violence itself is driven by animosity towards the victim’s Hindu faith. The murder then is another hate crime driven by the victim’s refusal to abandon his professed faith, Hinduism, and convert to the religion of the non-Hindu perpetrator. Since the victim’s faith is at the heart of the pressure to convert and the ensuing murder of the victim, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Hindu minorities in Pakistan face persistent persecution, marked by systemic discrimination, violence, and forced conversions. Hindus, particularly women and young girls, are often abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off to Muslim men with little to no legal recourse. Temples are frequently vandalised or destroyed, and Hindu communities are subjected to social and economic marginalisation. Blasphemy laws are disproportionately used against Hindus, leading to false accusations and severe punishments. Many Hindu families are forced to flee their homes due to religious intolerance, living in constant fear of attacks. This sustained persecution highlights the dire conditions for Hindus in Pakistan, where their religious identity makes them targets of oppression. This case is yet another stark reminder of the sustained persecution Hindus are subjected to in Islamic countries like Pakistan. This case of the killing of the Hindu sanitation worker in Peshawar was a clear case of a religiously motivated hate crime, as it was directly linked to his refusal to convert to Islam. The perpetrator had been pressuring the victim for months, attempting to coerce him into abandoning his faith. When the victim stood firm in his beliefs, he was targeted and murdered. The attack was neither random nor incidental but was carried out specifically because the victim refused to comply with religious conversion demands. This demonstrates that his Hindu faith was the direct cause of the violence, making it a case of religious persecution. Additionally, this case falls under the pattern of predatory proselytisation, where coercion escalates into extreme violence when the target resists conversion. The murder was not driven by personal disputes or unrelated motives but was an act of aggression against the victim’s religious identity. Such cases highlight how forced conversion attempts, backed by intimidation and threats, can turn deadly when the victim refuses to submit. The crime was rooted in religious animosity, making it a textbook example of a hate crime based on faith.
Victim Details
Total Victim
1
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 0
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 0
Caste
- SC/ST 0
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 1
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 1
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 0
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
