SWABI, March 30: An activist of Awami National Party, Maqsood Ali, and his brother were seriously injured when two motorcyclists opened fire on them here on Saturday.

The incident occurred in the jurisdiction of Yar Hussian police station. Sources said that Maqsood Ali and his brother Shahab Ali were on their way home in their jeep after attending the Yar Hussain cattle fair when unidentified motorcyclists suddenly appeared and sprayed bullets on them near Yar Hussain.

As a result, both were seriously injured and taken to Yar Hussain civil hospital where doctors referred them to Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar. Doctors at civil hospital said that condition of Mr Maqsood was very serious. The police said that it was an act of terrorism.

PTI RIFT: An annoyed group of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) comprising some key local leaders here said on Saturday that if the leadership failed to redress their complaints they would contest the general election as independent candidates from one National Assembly and three provincial assembly constituencies.

In the annoyed group, Mr Arshad has applied for PK-36 Swabi-VI ticket, Shah Wali for PK-31 Swabi-1, Salman Faisal for PK-35 Swabi-V and NA-13 SWabi-II, and Abdur Rashid for NA-13.

They said that PTI provincial president Asad Qaiser had been nominated as the party candidate from NA-13 and PK-35, demanding that he should leave the NA constituency and focus on the PK-35 being provincial president of the party.

They warned that if their demand was not accepted till Sunday (today) they would contest elections as independent candidates. “Mr Qaisar should contest election either from NA-13 or PK-35,” said Mr Arshad. He claimed that he was the party candidate from PK-36 in 2008 elections, but later the party decided to boycott elections.

The annoyed activists alleged that none of the candidates was interviewed and the tickets were awarded to them on the basis of the provincial president’s likes and dislikes.

They demanded of the party chairman Imran Khan to take notice of the ‘undemocratic tactics’ adopted by the provincial president.