Unidentified assailants gunned down an independent candidate for the national and provincial assembly from Bajaur, Rehan Zeb Khan, when the politician was engaged in a campaign in the Sadiqabad area on Wednesday.
The attackers opened fire on Rehan while he was campaigning ahead of the general elections scheduled to be held on February 8, 2024. He was rushed to AHQ Hospital in a critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Hospital staff has confirmed his death.
Hospital staff confirmed that he is no more.
— Nizamuddin Khan (@salarzai_) January 31, 2024
He was a very active member of the youth jirga and had been with us in our fight for reforms in the tribal areas, was a member of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf & stood as an independent candidate after the party refused to give him ticket https://t.co/UQkQfRwmQl
Rehan was an active member of the youth jirga and played a role in the fight for reforms in the tribal areas and development in the region. He had a strong affiliation with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), but he was contesting the upcoming general elections as an independent candidate as the party had refused to award him a ticket.
Rehan remained a strong supporter of PTI founder Imran Khan throughout his career in politics. He was often seen in local media praising the policies and ‘vision’ of Khan and the PTI.
He was also arrested in September 2023, when a crackdown was initiated against the PTI for his alleged involvement in attacking military installations following Khan’s arrest in a corruption case.
This is not the first fatal attack the PTI has endured during the ongoing election season. Earlier on Tuesday, four people were killed and six were injured in a bomb blast at a PTI rally in Balochistan’s Sibi.
The party stated that the incident occurred during an election rally organized by Saddam Tareen, a party-backed candidate running for the NA-253 (Ziarat) seat.
According to the report, three PTI workers were killed and seven were injured in the incident, but Tareen was unhurt.
In a post on X, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) stated that it has taken notice of the incident and sought a report from Balochistan's chief secretary and police chief.