Two individuals, including Awami National Party (ANP) leader Maulana Khan Zaib, were fatally shot on Thursday near the Khar Tehsil headquarters in Bajaur. According to Bajaur District Police Officer (DPO) Waqas Rafiq, the ANP leader was gunned down while actively campaigning for the July 13 peace movement.
The senior police official further disclosed that the shooting also left three of Maulana’s associates injured, who have since been admitted to the hospital. Maulana Zaib held the position of head of ANP’s Ulema Council and had previously run as a candidate for the National Assembly.
Following the tragic incident, ANP workers and concerned citizens staged a protest, which concluded shortly thereafter. ANP President Senator Aimal Wali Khan expressed his profound sorrow over the attack in a post on X, sharing a picture with the deceased politician and writing, “Devastated.”
Mian Iftikhar Hussain, President of ANP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, strongly condemned Maulana Zaib’s assassination, announcing that the party would observe three days of mourning. He asserted that the leader’s killing served as clear evidence that terrorists are once again operating unchecked in the region, while state institutions remain completely silent.
The district president of ANP confirmed that Maulana’s funeral prayers are scheduled for tomorrow at 11 am in Nawagai. Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Information, vowed that Maulana Zaib’s killers would swiftly face justice, characterizing the murder as an assault on peace.
Just last week, five individuals, including Assistant Commissioner Nawagai Faisal Ismail, lost their lives in a devastating blast in Tehsil Khar of Bajaur district. This earlier attack also claimed the lives of Tehsildar Abdul Wakeel, two police officials, and a passerby. Additionally, eleven others, including five police personnel, sustained injuries and were transported to nearby medical facilities for treatment.
