Angry At Being Removed From WhatsApp Group, Man Shoots Admin In Pakistan

Peshawar: A Pakistani man has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting the administrator of a community WhatsApp group who removed him from the chat, police said on Saturday.

The victim, Mushtaq Ahmed, was shot dead on Thursday evening in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province with a history of sectarian violence and armed conflicts.

According to police records and a local police official, a man identified only as Ashfaq has been charged with the murder.

Mushtaq reportedly removed Ashfaq from the WhatsApp group after an argument, as stated by the victim's brother in a complaint seen by AFP. The two had later arranged a meeting to reconcile their differences. However, Ashfaq allegedly arrived armed and opened fire, killing Mushtaq on the spot.

The statement further mentioned that Ashfaq acted "in reaction to his removal from the WhatsApp group."

Frequent availability of firearms, deeply rooted tribal customs, and weak law enforcement are factors that often contribute to such violent incidents in the region.