Under fire: Two LG candidates targeted

PML-N office bearer dies in shooting; PTI aspirant survives

PHOTO: AFP

HARIPUR:
Attacks on candidates contesting local government polls are continuing unabated as two more aspirants were targeted separately in Haripur on Friday. One died, the other survived with injuries, while six members of his entourage were killed.

PML-N’s Qazi Muhammad Sajjad Qureshi, tehsil president and district council aspirant from Sera-e-Saleh union council, died after unidentified men opened fire on him. His brother Qazi Imran told the police Qureshi was heading home around 12:30am when the shooters targeted him.

Qureshi is the third LG candidate to be murdered in the province during the past two weeks. The family has denied having any disputes with anyone.

A large number of party leaders, including PML-N’s provincial chief Pir Sabir Shah and former provincial minister Qazi Muhammad Asad Khan, have condemned the murder of the party’s office-bearer and urged police to take the culprits to task.

PTI candidate attacked

Unidentified armed men ambushed the convoy of PTI candidate for tehsil council from Kholiyan Bala UC, Javed Khan Jadoon, killing six of his entourage and leaving him injured. According to SP headquarters, Jadoon was on his way back home after addressing a corner meeting in Chiti Dhaki village when his motorcade was attacked at Tooru Dhok bridge.


Jadoon’s driver managed to accelerate the vehicle past the shooters, but the leader’s guards sitting in another vehicle were not so lucky. Six people, including the driver, were killed in the gunfire.

Four of the deceased were identified as Sajid, Shah Nawaz, Ilyas, Qadeer, while the identity of two others could not be ascertained.

“It’s not political violence or terrorism. Jadoon’s family has old family feuds in different parts of the district and the attack could be the result of an enmity,” said Hazara DIG Akhtar Hayat Gandapur.

Three in a row

Qureshi is the third candidate for LG polls to be killed. On April 25, an independent candidate for the general village councillor seat was shot dead while campaigning in Khazana, Peshawar. Earlier this week, another independent candidate for general councillor seat was gunned down in Allai tehsil of Batagram district.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2015. 
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