A PTI-backed independent candidate was shot dead in Siddiqabad area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district in Wednesday, according to police.
Khar Police Station House Officer (SHO) Rasheed Khan said Rehan Zeb Khan was canvassing in the area when unidentified armed men open fired on his vehicle.
The cop said Rehan was taken to the District Headquarters Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. According to the SHO, four other people were also injured in the attack.
District Police Officer Bajaur, Kashif Zulfiqar told Dawn.com that the incident appeared to be a “targeted killing”. He said that law enforcement authorities were conducting a search operation in the area.
Meanwhile, the PTI said Rehan was a party-backed candidate for a National Assembly seat and strongly condemned the killing. It said that the fact that PTI-backed candidates and public gatherings were being targeted by “terrorist attacks” raised a “big question mark” on the fairness of polls.
“After the attack on PTI’s election rally in Sibi, the responsibility of the killing of the [party-backed] National Assembly candidate is on the incompetent caretaker government,” the party said.
The party demanded an immediate probe into the attack, adding that those responsible should be punished. It said that security should be provided to all PTI-backed candidates participating in the elections. The party also called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take notice of the incident.
It alleged that the caretaker government was focused on bringing one particular political party to power instead of discharging its constitutional responsibilities.
PTI’s Hammad Azhar said that Rehan symbolised the country’s youth. Hammad said Rehan had wanted a better future for the people and was struggling in this regard.
Separately, the ECP also took notice of the killing. Although it did not name Rehan, it said that it had taken notice of the killing of a candidate from NA-8 Bajaur.
The electoral watchdog sought a report from the KP chief secretary and police chief and directed that those responsible be punished.
