Pre-poll violence: Three killed in attack on Sarfaraz Domki’s convoy in Sibi

One assailant captured; several injured in separate incidents of violence across country.

Three people, including one assailant, were killed in an attack on the convoy of an independent candidate, Sardar Sarfaraz Domki in Sibi on Sunday.

Sources said Domki, who is running for PB-21 (Sibi-I), was returning from an election campaign along with his supporters when one of his vehicles carrying Levies guards was bombed. Two of the Levies personnel were wounded in the attack and later succumbed to their injuries. The ensuing crossfire resulted in the death of one attacker, and the capture of another, who was later handed over to the police, officials said.



Sibi deputy commissioner Aziz Jamali said that the attackers were hiding in nearby bushes when the convoy passed, and detonated the bomb with a remote controlled device.

“A live remote controlled explosive was recovered and later defused while two hand grenades were also recovered from the possession of attackers,” he said, adding that it was still unclear which tribe the attackers belonged to as the injured attacker was still unconscious.



When contacted, Mir Dostain Domki, first cousin of Sardar Sarfaraz Domki, and an independent candidate for NA-265 from the same area, said when the explosion occurred, guards spotted two suspects trying to escape on motorbikes in the nearby fields. He said both were chased by Domki tribesmen and in the crossfire one of the attackers was killed and the other injured.

Attacks on PTI

In another incident of violence, the house of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate for NA-40, Engineer Abdul Qayyum Khan was partially damaged when a bomb planted by unknown militants exploded in Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan Agency on Sunday.

Khan said unknown militants planted a bomb at the main gate of the house, which, upon explosion, damaged the gate and demolished the boundary wall, adding that no one was injured in the incident.

Meanwhile, a hand grenade was hurled by unknown men towards a PTI motorcycle rally in the Gharibabad area in Takht Bhai tehsil of Mardan that injured five PTI activists.

Shah Mumtaz Khan, an official of the Takht Bhai police station, said that the motorcycle rally had been organised by NA-10 candidate from PTI, Ali Muhammad Advocate along with PK-27 candidate Engineer Adil Nawaz, who had gathered party workers from Fazalabad to Gharibabad. The grenade was hurled at party activists who, due to over-speeding had been ahead of the rally, the official added.

He added that the injured were immediately rushed to Mardan Medical Complex for first aid, while two activists, Sohail and Khalid were referred to Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.

PML-N, NP, JUI-I’s offices attacked

Five people were injured in a hand grenade attack on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s office in Kharan on Sunday. The office was the residence of PML-N’s candidate for NA-271 Lt. Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch’s nephew and had been declared an election office, according to the police.

In another incident, five people were injured when a hand grenade exploded in National Party’s office in Mach.

A hand grenade was also hurled at the office of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Ideological in Quetta’s Deba area, injuring two. However, no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Separately, armed men opened indiscriminate fire on Quetta’s Circular Road and fled, killing a man named Assad. Moreover, unknown men blew a room of a boys high school with explosives in Nushki. According to details, a huge quantity of explosive material was planted in Killi Sahibzada Boys High School. However, no loss of life was reported.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2013.