Farida Afridi, executive director of non-government organisation SAWERA, was shot dead by unidentified assailants early Wednesday morning.
Her relatives told reporters that Farida’s car was ambushed by two masked motorcyclists when she left home at Jamrud for her office in Hayatabad, Peshawar. The men opened fire on Farida’s car, killing her instantly. Farida’s NGO is working for the protection of women and human rights. Her relatives said that she had been receiving threats for the last several days. So far no one has claimed responsibility for the murder, but her colleagues and relatives suspect Taliban militants. Farida is not the first civil society activist to have been assassinated. Last year Zarteef Khan Afridi, an active member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, was shot dead by unknown militants in the Jamrud region of Khyber Agency.
Idrees Kamal, convener of Aman Tehrik, Zar Ali Khan Musazai, chief of Tribal NGO Network along with others condemned Farida’s murder and demanded the government and international community combat acts of violence against human rights activists.
