Pro-govt tribal elder shot dead in Khyber

The attackers followed Munsif Khan in a car and targeted him in a crowded bazaar

LANDI KOTAL:

In a shocking development, a pro-government tribal elder was gunned down in a crowded marketplace in Khyber tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Wednesday.

Police told The Express Tribune that in the crowded Qamaber Khel Bazaar unidentified men opened fire at the motorcar of Munsif Khan who was traveling with his nephew Qadir. A passerby was also injured in the firing.

“All three of them were left critically injured in the attack and were rushed to hospital where Haji Munsif and the passerby Lal Muhammad succumbed to their injuries,” said an official of police, adding that the injured Qadir was under treatment in critical condition at a private hospital of Peshawar.

The attackers followed them in a black motorcar, fired at them and then managed to escape after committing the crime taking full advantage of the confusion and stampede caused by the intense firing.

He said that Haji Munsif survived several attempts at his life in the past too and was apparently on the hit list of militants.

In one attack recently, his driver was killed but he luckily escaped unhurt.

The 48-year-old Munsif Khan worked as a journalist for several years and remained affiliated with several Peshawar-based Urdu newspapers initially.

Later he became a political activist by joining the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). In 2015 Munsif Khan joined Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf (PTI) and was still its ardent member in the district.

Munsif was seriously injured in a bomb blast in 2010 when his car hit a landmine by the roadside. He lost one leg in the attack but recovered.

“Haji Munsif was an active member of Amar Bil Maroof organization founded by his relative Haji Namdar in Khyber in 2005. This outfit was considered pro-government and didn’t allow TTP to operate in the area for which Namdar paid the price with his life.

Haji Namdar was shot dead in an attack claimed by TTP outside his madrassah. Later the outfit was dissolved when government banned all organizations,” said a local resident, adding that on Wednesday a large Jirga of all clans of Khyber was held on Ring Road in Khyber and Haji Munsif attended it too.

“The main agenda of the Jirga was to work for the peace in the district and block the return of militancy. On his way back his vehicle was ambushed by miscreants who escaped after the successful attack,” he said, adding that Munsif was considered very active in the area and was an influential man.

The attack caused widespread panic among the local residents as militants have allegedly returned to the area and there are reports that they patrol some areas after nightfall.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2022.