Wahab, a freelance writer, was shot by unidentified gunmen
as he sat in a roadside shop in Manglawar Bazaar, near the resort town of
Mingora in northwestern Pakistan. The shopkeeper and his young assistant also
died in the attack.
Wahab, who lived in Mingora, had published several books in
Urdu and Pashto that were critical of local religious leaders and Islamic
militant organizations. Among Wahab’s work was the book, Mullah Ka Kirdar (The
Mullah’s Role), which analyzed the Islamic clergy’s involvement in politics. He
had also completed a manuscript about Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.
Local journalists and human rights activists told CPJ that
Wahab had received threats for years in connection with his journalism. The
independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan found that police took no
evident action to apprehend the killers.