Young stage dancer allegedly shot dead by suitor in Peshawar

Three performers have been murdered in K-P so far this year

PESHAWAR: A stage dancer named Soniya was allegedly shot dead by a suitor in a Peshawar neighborhood on Friday night.

Soniya is the third performer to have been killed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa so far this year. Showbiz stars are being killed with impunity in the province and the police appear to have failed to stem the deadly trend.

Soniya was allegedly shot dead by her suitor, named Musaddaq, at her house in the Chowk Shadi Peer area of old city, according to the police. The area falls under the jurisdiction of Kotwali police station.



Malik Habib, DSP Kotwali, told Express News that Musaddaq had been Soniya’s suitor for some time. However, he shot and critically injured Soniya after she turned down his marriage proposal.

Soniya was rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital where she succumbed to her fatal wounds, according to medics. She was laid to rest at her native village in the Malagori area on the outskirts of Peshawar.

Musaddaq, a resident of Parang area of Charsadda district, fled the scene after the murder. The police have registered an FIR on the complaint of Soniya’s sworn brother Jan Alam and began a manhunt for the alleged killer.

In February, a popular stage dancer and Pashto actor Sunbul was murdered in the upscale Sheikh Maltoon neighbourhood of Mardan district. According to investigators, Sunbul was shot dead after refusing to perform at a function.

Five months later in August, another dancer Resham was shot dead allegedly by her husband, Fida Khan, over a domestic dispute in the Rahimabad area of Nowshera district.

Singer-dancer Resham who was killed by her husband. PHOTO:EXPRESS



In the same month, popular stage dancer Neelum Gul was allegedly tortured by her husband in a Mardan neighbourhood. A video clip showing the torture went viral on social media.

In the same clip, Neelum had spoken about threats to her life while appealing to the law enforcement agencies to take immediate steps for the security of people belonging to the showbiz industry.

Renowned Pashto singer Ghazala Javed. PHOTO:EXPRESS

In 2012, a renowned Pashto singer Ghazala Javed was allegedly shot dead by her husband, Jahangir, in Peshawar’s suburban Shah Qabool area. The motives of the murder were unknown and the FIR was registered at the Gulfat Hussain Shaheed police station.