WhatsApp group admin shot dead for allegedly removing member

Peshawar (AFP): 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 Saturday.

Mushtaq Ahmed was shot dead on Thursday evening in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province that borders Afghanistan, which has a history of bloody sectarian violence.

A man named only as Ashfaq has been charged with his murder, according to police documents seen by AFP and a local police official.

Mushtaq allegedly kicked Ashfaq out of the WhatsApp group following an argument, according to a statement by Mushtaq’s brother seen by AFP.

He said that both parties had arranged to meet and reconcile but alleges that Ashfaq turned up with a gun and opened fire, killing his brother.

Ashfaq was angry “in reaction to removal from WhatsApp group,” according to his statement.

The availability of firearms, the influence of tribal customs, and sometimes weak law enforcement contribute to the frequency of such incidents.