NORTH WAZIRISTAN/BAJAUR: Two political figures, former MNA Mohsin Dawar and a JUI-F provincial assembly candidate from Bajaur, survived separate attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal districts on Wednesday.

Mr Dawar, chairman of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), encountered an armed attack on his convoy in the Tapi area of Miramshah tehsil, North Waziristan, while Qari Khairullah of the JUI-F narrowly escaped a roadside bomb in Bajaur.

The attack on Mr Dawar’s convoy occurred during an election rally. The assailants opened fire and subsequently fled.

“Mr Dawar was inside a bulletproof vehicle and re­mained unhurt,” Rokha­nzeb, North Waziristan’s district police officer, told Dawn. However, two individuals following the convoy sustained minor injuries.

The DPO noted that a police report would be filed under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. He said a search operation had been launched, but no arrests were made immediately.

However, Mr Dawar said it was not one but two attacks within two hours. “Today, we had a corner meeting of NDM at Tappi village in Miran Shah. At 10:55 as we were ent­ering the village my vehicle got attacked. They began with AK-47s and I could see them preparing an RPG as well, but due to the return firing of my comrades they ran away,” he said in a post on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.

“We then stopped at a local house where my tribe Darpa Khel’s qomi lashkar, NDM comrades and the police arrived. At around 12:45 we then moved again and once again we were attacked. This time it lasted for 30 to 40 minutes and once again the terrorists had to retreat,” he added.

He said the attacks had “strengthened my resolve even further. I will not back down from unmasking these double games and the facilitation of this new great game, which is at the expense of our blood.”

Separately, in a social media post, the NDM said terrorism had been increasing in Waziristan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the state’s policies regarding the Taliban, Dawn.com reported.

“How will a level playing field be provided to Mohsin Dawar in such a dangerous environment?” it asked, demanding an immediate investigation into the attack. “We demand the election commissioner to immediately call an emergency meeting regarding the security of candidates in KP.”

NDM founding member Bushra Gohar also strongly condemned the attack and demanded an immediate investigation into it.

JUI-F candidate targeted

In Bajaur, JUI-F’s candidate for the provincial assembly’s PK-19 constituency, Qari Khairullah, had a close call when an explosive device detonated near his vehicle on the Barkholozo-Zagai Road, police and party sources said.

The explosion occurred near the Kamar area of Lowi Mamond tehsil at about 4:20pm. Mr Khairullah was on his way to his native village, Zagai.

While Mr Khairullah remained unhurt, his vehicle suffered partial damage. Local police began investigating the motive for the explosion.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Policeman martyred

Moreover, a cop was martyred in a targeted attack in the Mir Ali town of North Waziristan.

Officials said that Constable Jan-i-Alam, a resident of Harmaz village, came under attack when he went to a bank to withdraw salary. His body was shifted to Mir Ali Hospital.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2024