Bomb blast in KP, key political leader narrowly escapes assassination
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In Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Akhunzada Chattan narrowly avoided a potentially fatal blast on Wednesday, as reported by police officials. The incident occurred in Mamund tehsil, where a blast targeted Chattan's vehicle. Fortunately, Chattan emerged unharmed as he was inside a bomb-proof vehicle at the time of the explosion.
Chattan, who is the PPP’s candidate for NA-8 in the upcoming by-elections slated for April 21, was the intended target of the blast. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had previously postponed elections in Bajaur’s NA-8 and PK-22 following the assassination of Rehan Zeb Khan, an independent candidate backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Khan was killed in the Siddiqabad area of Bajaur during his election campaign when unidentified assailants opened fire on his vehicle, resulting in his death and injuries to four others.
The ECP issued a notification postponing the polls for NA-8 and PK-22 in light of the tragic incident. The postponement underscores the challenges and risks faced by political candidates in certain regions of Pakistan, where violence and targeted attacks are not uncommon during electoral campaigns.
