Fazal Wahab

Age: 32

Organisation: Freelance Writer

Date of incident: January 21, 2003

Location: Mingora, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Designation:

Cause of Death:

Incident Description: Shot Dead

Summary of Case

On January 21, 2003, a 40-year-old writer, Fazal Wahab, was amongst three people shot dead by “unidentified assailants” in Mingora, Khyber Patkhunkhwa. According to Dawn, Wahab’s work was viewed as critical of Osama Bin Laden and the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan. As per the Swat police, three or four gunmen “burst into” a shop located in a local bazaar where Wahab was sitting.

They opened fire, killing him and the owner of the shop at the spot. A teenage shop assistant died on the way to the hospital. Wahab was reportedly engaged in a hostile debate with some pro-Taliban Ulema and was living as a refugee in the Swat Valley. According to the report, prominent Ulema of the Deoband and Wahabi schools of thought had issues Fatwas against him and had declared his work as “un-Islamic” after two of his books were published challenging the role of mullahs, Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban.

Updates

According to his brother, the case has not been investigated and no one has been arrested.

Was case investigated:Yes

Was FIR registered:Yes

Attack suspected by:Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)

Name of accused in FIR:Unidentified

Status of court case:—

Court where case was presented:No case in court.