Election violence: NPP candidate survives suicide attack near Shikarpur
18 wounded in attacks in Harnai, Quetta and Mardan.
A suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into Jatoi’s vehicle, while the NPP leader was on his way to Shikarpur from his village. PHOTO: FILE
MIRAMSHAH/SUKKUR/QUETTA/PESHAWAR/MARDAN:
National Peoples Party candidate for NA-202 Dr Mohammad Ibrahim Jatoi narrowly escaped a suicide attack on Wednesday morning at the Shikarpur toll plaza.
A suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into Jatoi’s vehicle, while the NPP leader was on his way to Shikarpur from his village. Despite the intensity of the explosion, which caused extensive damage to Jatoi’s bulletproof Landcruiser, all the occupants were unhurt.
Guards and local people then cordoned off the area, after which police reached the spot and arrested an injured suspect. Police also took away the body parts of the alleged bomber and remains of his motorcycle.
This is the second suicide attack that Jatoi has survived.
Two years ago, a suicide bomber tried to enter his residence while a Muharram Majlis was underway. At that time the police officials, who were deployed for security stopped the bomber from entering the venue and the bomber detonated his explosives, seriously injuring three police officers.
Election violence continues
At least 18 people were injured in a fresh wave of attacks targeting election related activity across the country on Wednesday – with as many as 14 of them injured in incidents in Balochistan.
Eight people were reported injured in a rocket attack on a JUI-F gathering in the city of Harnai in Balochistan, with four of them reported to be in a critical condition. Unknown persons launched rockets at the JUI-F gathering from the mountains surrounding the city, with as many as ten rockets landing at various places close to the gathering.
JUI-F Balochistan chapter president and chairman of the Islamic Ideological Council Maulana Muhammad Sherani was among the leaders scheduled to address the gathering, but he was not present at the gathering at the time of the attack.
Another six people, including three police officials, were injured when unknown assailants hurled a grenade at the election office of PML-N candidate Haji Lashkari Raisani in Quetta. Shots were reportedly fired as well. Eyewitnesses claimed two men, riding a motorcycle, carried out the attack at Raisani’s office.
Four persons, including the relatives of Haji Latif Gul, the ANP candidate for PK-30, were injured by unknown gunmen in Mardan.
According to an official of the Par Hoti police station, Gul had been on his way back from a corner meeting accompanied by his nephew, another relative and two gunmen when the two assailants opened fire at them. While Gul emerged from the attack unscathed, his relatives were critically injured.
Meanwhile, two other attacks were reported from Dera Murad Jamali and Nushki. Mir Allah Din Umrani, independent candidate for PB-29, was targeted by a remote controlled bomb near Kachi Bridge in Dera Murad Jamali. According to police, 10kg of explosives were used in the bomb, which had been planted underneath Umrani’s vehicle. While the vehicle was completely destroyed in the blast, no one was reported injured. No group claimed responsibility for the attack till the filing of this report.
In Nushki, unknown persons hurled a grenade at the residence of PB-40 candidate Mir Bahadur Khan Mengal. No casualties were reported in this incident either.
Police in Peshawar also foiled two attempts at targeting election candidates in the city. A five-kilogramme bomb was defused near the election office of ANP candidate Arbab Nazir in the jurisdiction of Mathra police station around 11am on Monday. Around four hours later, another five-kilogramme device was defused near the house of PML-N candidate Syed Abbas Ali Shah.
QWP candidate kidnapped
A candidate of the Qaumi Watan Party, contesting from NA-40, was allegedly kidnapped by unidentified armed men in Mirali tehsil of North Waziristan Agency Wednesday evening.
An official of the political administration said that Malik Akbar Khan was on his way to his residence in Haider Khel from Khaisur along with four Khasadar officials, when the unidentified men intercepted his car and kidnapped him.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2013.
National Peoples Party candidate for NA-202 Dr Mohammad Ibrahim Jatoi narrowly escaped a suicide attack on Wednesday morning at the Shikarpur toll plaza.
A suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into Jatoi’s vehicle, while the NPP leader was on his way to Shikarpur from his village. Despite the intensity of the explosion, which caused extensive damage to Jatoi’s bulletproof Landcruiser, all the occupants were unhurt.
Guards and local people then cordoned off the area, after which police reached the spot and arrested an injured suspect. Police also took away the body parts of the alleged bomber and remains of his motorcycle.
This is the second suicide attack that Jatoi has survived.
Two years ago, a suicide bomber tried to enter his residence while a Muharram Majlis was underway. At that time the police officials, who were deployed for security stopped the bomber from entering the venue and the bomber detonated his explosives, seriously injuring three police officers.
Election violence continues
At least 18 people were injured in a fresh wave of attacks targeting election related activity across the country on Wednesday – with as many as 14 of them injured in incidents in Balochistan.
Eight people were reported injured in a rocket attack on a JUI-F gathering in the city of Harnai in Balochistan, with four of them reported to be in a critical condition. Unknown persons launched rockets at the JUI-F gathering from the mountains surrounding the city, with as many as ten rockets landing at various places close to the gathering.
JUI-F Balochistan chapter president and chairman of the Islamic Ideological Council Maulana Muhammad Sherani was among the leaders scheduled to address the gathering, but he was not present at the gathering at the time of the attack.
Another six people, including three police officials, were injured when unknown assailants hurled a grenade at the election office of PML-N candidate Haji Lashkari Raisani in Quetta. Shots were reportedly fired as well. Eyewitnesses claimed two men, riding a motorcycle, carried out the attack at Raisani’s office.
Four persons, including the relatives of Haji Latif Gul, the ANP candidate for PK-30, were injured by unknown gunmen in Mardan.
According to an official of the Par Hoti police station, Gul had been on his way back from a corner meeting accompanied by his nephew, another relative and two gunmen when the two assailants opened fire at them. While Gul emerged from the attack unscathed, his relatives were critically injured.
Meanwhile, two other attacks were reported from Dera Murad Jamali and Nushki. Mir Allah Din Umrani, independent candidate for PB-29, was targeted by a remote controlled bomb near Kachi Bridge in Dera Murad Jamali. According to police, 10kg of explosives were used in the bomb, which had been planted underneath Umrani’s vehicle. While the vehicle was completely destroyed in the blast, no one was reported injured. No group claimed responsibility for the attack till the filing of this report.
In Nushki, unknown persons hurled a grenade at the residence of PB-40 candidate Mir Bahadur Khan Mengal. No casualties were reported in this incident either.
Police in Peshawar also foiled two attempts at targeting election candidates in the city. A five-kilogramme bomb was defused near the election office of ANP candidate Arbab Nazir in the jurisdiction of Mathra police station around 11am on Monday. Around four hours later, another five-kilogramme device was defused near the house of PML-N candidate Syed Abbas Ali Shah.
QWP candidate kidnapped
A candidate of the Qaumi Watan Party, contesting from NA-40, was allegedly kidnapped by unidentified armed men in Mirali tehsil of North Waziristan Agency Wednesday evening.
An official of the political administration said that Malik Akbar Khan was on his way to his residence in Haider Khel from Khaisur along with four Khasadar officials, when the unidentified men intercepted his car and kidnapped him.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2013.