Political Enmity: Two killed, one injured in rivalry

HARIPUR: Two people lost their lives to political rivalry and another was injured during a clash on Friday. Iftikhar Ahmed, a resident of Khalabat Township, told the police that his brother Muhammad Hafeez, private secretary of MPA Gohar Nawaz, was on his way to Haripur with Muhammad Imran when Asad Javed and his accomplice allegedly opened fire at them, killing Hafeez on the spot and injuring Imran. Shahzad was also wounded, he said. The complainant alleged that Imran was killed due to an enmity between the MPA and his opponent Zulfiqar Ahmed Khan. Nawaz and Zulfiqar had developed a rivalry during the 2008 election. Enmity between the two groups has claimed nine lives so far including that of former MPA Akhtar Nawaz of the ANP, former Haripur nazim Iftikhar Ahmed Khan and Nawaz Sharif’s political secretary Sher Azam.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2011.