In Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)leader Akhunzada Chattan narrowly avoided a potentially fatal blast onWednesday, as reported by police officials. The incident occurred in Mamundtehsil, where a blast targeted Chattan’s vehicle. Fortunately, Chattanemerged unharmed as he was inside a bomb-proof vehicle at the time of theexplosion.
Chattan, who is the PPP’s candidate for NA-8 in the upcoming by-electionsslated for April 21, was the intended target of the blast. The ElectionCommission of Pakistan (ECP) had previously postponed elections in Bajaur’sNA-8 and PK-22 following the assassination of Rehan Zeb Khan, anindependent candidate backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Khan was killed in the Siddiqabad area of Bajaur during his electioncampaign when unidentified assailants opened fire on his vehicle, resultingin his death and injuries to four others.
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The ECP issued a notification postponing the polls for NA-8 and PK-22 inlight of the tragic incident. The postponement underscores the challengesand risks faced by political candidates in certain regions of Pakistan,where violence and targeted attacks are not uncommon during electoralcampaigns.