Armed men have shot and killed Fazl Ahmad Paeez, head of Religious Affairs for the Aga Khan Foundation in the Zebak district of Badakhshan province, local sources told Afghanistan International.
According to eyewitnesses, unidentified gunmen stormed Paeez’s home on the evening of Friday, 4 July, forcibly dragged him outside, and executed him. Graphic images obtained by Afghanistan International show his bloodied body at the scene.
Local Taliban authorities have not yet commented on the killing.
This marks the second targeted killing of individuals affiliated with the Ismaili community in recent months, fuelling concerns over mounting pressure and persecution faced by the religious minority since the Taliban’s return to power.
Last month, Sayed Qiyamuddin, a resident of Yamgan district in Badakhshan and an employee of the World Health Organization, was reportedly tortured and killed in Jalalabad under similar circumstances.
Multiple reports have surfaced in recent years alleging that members of the Ismaili community in Badakhshan have been harassed, threatened, and in some cases, forced to convert. Last year, Taliban-appointed district governor Jumakhan Fateh in Nusa was accused of coercing dozens of Ismailis into renouncing their faith.
Sources in the province claim the Taliban have also established “jihadist schools” in Ismaili-populated areas and deployed Sunni clerics to pressure the community into religious conformity.
Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims worldwide, passed away last year in Portugal and was buried in Egypt. While international leaders, including the UN Secretary-General, issued public condolences, the Taliban offered no official response.
The targeted violence against the Ismaili minority in Afghanistan has drawn increasing concern from human rights groups, who warn that religious pluralism in the country is under grave threat.
