Pushto drama actor Mussarat Shaheen gunned down in Nowshera

Police say Musarrat, not to be confused with famous Pushto film actor and politician of the same name, was targeted

NOWSHERA: Pashto tele-film actor Mussarat Shaheen (not to be confused with the actor, cum politician of the same name) was shot dead by unknown motorcyclists at Shobra Chowk, Nowshera on Wednesday morning, in what Cantonment police said was a targeted attack.

Mussarat, 24, and her mother Parveen Bibi were on their way to a store for purchasing groceries, when they were intercepted by unknown gunmen on motorcyles near Shobra Chowk.

In her first information report (FIR) of the incident, Perveen Bibi said that the gunmen fired on them multiple times. The attack killed Shaheen on the spot while Parveen narrowly escaped. The assailants managed to flee after the attack.

Mussarat acted in local dramas which were sold on computer discs.

SHO Nowshera Cantt police station Ismail Khan told The Express Tribune that they have lodged an FIR on the complaint of Mussarat’s mother and investigations had started. He added that the family had not mentioned any past enmity.

Mussarat’s brother, Naeem Sardar, told The Express Tribune via phone that his sister had starred in over a dozen Pahsto tele-films but he was unaware of the names of the production houses where she worked.

He added that that they were five sisters and two brothers with his family originally hailing from Talagang district of Punjab. Mussarat’s body will now be taken to their ancestral village for burial.

Noting that they had lived in Nowshera Cantt for a long time, Sardar said that he was a fruit merchant in Nowshera Bazaar. He reiterated that they did not have a quarrel with anyone. “We were not threatened by anyone in anyway,” he said. “If my sister had received any indication about being a target, she would have communicated it to the family.”

He further clarified that his sister was not named after the famous Pashto film star Mussarat Shaheen.