Ex-senator among five killed in Bajaur roadside blast

Amid a fresh spiral of terrorist violence in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a former senator and four men travelling with him were killed in a roadside bomb attack on their vehicle in the Mamund tehsil of Bajaur district on Wednesday.

The outlawed TTP was quick to deny involvement in the IED attack on Hidayatullah Khan, a brother of former K-P governor Shaukatullah Khan and son of ex-MNA Haji Bismillah Khan, in Damadola area of Mamund. Hidayatullah was also the uncle of independent candidate for the upcoming by-poll for PK-22 Bajaur-IV, Najeebullah Khan.

Bajaur DPO Sajjad Ahmad confirmed an IED was remotely detonated as Hidayatullah’s vehicle drove over it.
The bomb disposal unit is investigating, he said without sharing more details.

A Bajaur police spokesperson said the former senator was en route to the district headquarters of Khar after campaigning for Najeebullah Khan in Damadola.

The bodies of the victims were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar where MS Dr Naseeb Gul confirmed their identities as Hidayatullah Khan, Malik Irfan, Nazar Din, Yar Muhammad, and Samiullah. The bodies were later handed over to their heirs after medico-legal formalities.

K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur denounced the incident and sought a report from police. “All aspects of the incident should be investigated and a report should be submitted,” he was quoted as saying in a statement. Provincial government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Saif offered prayers for the victims and said: “Such cowardly attacks cannot dampen our spirits.”

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack and extended his condolences to the bereaved families. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the deaths in Bajaur blast.

According to his office, the PM said that terrorist elements were the enemies of law and order and democracy, but could not deter the resolve of the Pakistani nation. He also reiterated the resolve to eliminate the specter of terrorism from the country.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman noted that K-P and Balochistan had turned into a shelter for militant outfits. He regretted that the government’s writ in both the provinces was nowhere to be seen as people have to defend themselves because law enforcement agencies have failed to protect them.

He warned that this state of lawlessness could plunge the country in chaos