PESHAWAR: Three people, among them an independent candidate for the upcoming polls were killed on Wednesday in northwestern Pakistan, an official confirmed, weeks before Pakistan heads to the polls amid a precarious security situation.
Political parties and security analysts in Pakistan have voiced fears about the deteriorating security situation in Pakistan as it gears up for polls on February 8. Pakistan has suffered pre-election violence in the past, which includes targeted attacks and suicide blasts, before national polls in 2008 and 2013.
The attack took place in the village of Tappi in the North Waziristan tribal district, district police officer Rokhanzeb Khan confirmed. Kaleemullah Dawar, an independent candidate for the PK-104 provincial assembly constituency, was gunned down by unidentified persons around 4:00 p.m.
“Yes he (Kaleemullah Dawar) was shot dead along with his two colleagues by unidentified attackers,” Khan told Arab News, adding that the incident took place in the same area where former lawmaker Mohsin Dawar escaped unhurt in a similar attack last week.
Kaleemullah Dawar was traveling from Miran Shah, the headquarters of the district, when gunmen targeted his vehicle, the official said.
“Dawar and his two colleagues died on the spot,” Khan said. “A police party was dispatched to the area which has started an investigation into the incident.”
Political parties and candidates have kicked off their election campaigns amid mounting security concerns ahead of the February 8 national polls in the country.
The situation is particularly difficult for politicians contesting the electoral contest from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where a workers’ convention of the Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam (JUI-F) party was attacked last year.
In a separate incident, an official of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province confirmed that a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate for the upcoming polls was critically wounded on Wednesday.
Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai said the PML-N candidate was targeted by gunmen in Turbat’s Issa National Park.
“Aslam Buledi, a former senator and provincial minister, has been critically wounded,” Achakzai told Arab News. “He was promptly taken to the hospital after the attack.”
Achakzai vowed that those disturbing the peace of the province would not be spared.
“The enemies of Balochistan and Pakistan seek to create a law and order crisis, but they will not be allowed to succeed in their nefarious designs,” he added.
