ANP leader Daud Achakzai injured in Chaman firing incident
Levies officials say incident happened in Alizai area of Balochistan's northwestern district Qilla Abdullah
July 16, 2018
CHAMAN: Awami National Party (ANP) leader Daud Khan Achakzai was injured after unknown persons opened fire on the guest house of the party's candidate Zmrak Khan Achakzai in Chaman on Monday.
According to Levies officials, the firing incident happened in Alizai area of Balochistan's northwestern district Qilla Abdullah.
Daud is the central vice president of ANP who was visiting Zmrak — the party's candidate from PB-21 constituency — when unknown persons opened fire on the latter's guest house.
The assailants fled the crime scene immediately after the incident took place. Police have cordoned off the area and a search operation is under way.
The injured former senator was shifted to Quetta for medical treatment.
The military has warned of security threats in the run-up to the election on July 25 and said it will deploy more than 370,000 soldiers on polling day.
Spate of attacks
This was the fourth terrorist attack on politicians.
The spate of attacks on candidates contesting the upcoming polls began on July 10, when a bomb targeted a rally by ANP in Peshawar, martyring local party leader Haroon Bilour along with 21 others.
An attack on a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) convoy in Bannu on July 13 followed the tragic Peshawar incident. The Bannu incident claimed lives of at least four people, while 10 others were injured in the explosion. According to JUI-F leader Akram Khan Durrani, the blast took place near the tyre of his jeep when he was passing through Haved Bazaar after addressing an election rally.
Later the same day, in what was one of the deadliest attacks in the country's history, Balochistan Awami Party candidate Nawab Siraj Raisani along with 131 others was martyred when a suicide bomber blew himself up during an election rally in Mastung's Darengarh area.
