MARDAN, Jan 17: Two persons, including a local leader of Pakistan people's Party, were killed and two injured in separate incidents of violence here on Monday.

Police said that unidentified persons shot dead PPP leader Guftaar Ali outside his house in Muhib Banda area. The assailants managed to escape after committing the crime, they said.

The motive behind his murder could not be ascertained as the family members told police that they had no enmity with anyone.

It is pertinent to mention here that a local leader of Awami National Party, Jehar Khan Hoti, was also killed by unidentified persons in Mardan about two weeks ago.

In the second incident, a man was killed and his two relatives received injuries when suspected militants attacked their house with rockets in Babaini area on Monday.

The residents of the area said that the house of Rahimdad Khan was attacked in the small hours of Monday. Locals rushed to the spot when they heard a loud explosion and firing.

Rahimdad was killed while his relatives Sufaid Shah and Wilayat Shah were injured in the attack. The injured persons were shifted to district headquarters hospital.

A contingent of police was sent to the area after receiving information about the attack. Afzal Khan, father of the deceased, told police that he had migrated to the area from Matta tehsil of Swat three years ago after distancing himself from militants there. He admitted that he was associated with Swat militants for some time.

He suspected that the attack was carried out by militants as they were annoyed with him. Chora police station registered an FIR against unidentified militants on the complaint of Afzal Khan and started search operation in the surrounding areas. PESHAWAR:

A police checkpoint was attacked with an explosive device in Bara Qadeem area of Peshawar on Monday.

A police official said that a suspected militant hurled an explosive device at a checkpost at Batathal but it missed the target. The checkpoint, he said, had been set up for checking movement of suspected people and vehicles.

He said that main Bara-Road was closed owing to military operation in Khyber Agency. “Police have established checkpoints at different entry and exit points to check movement of militants,” he added.

The official said that it was third attack on the checkpoint during the past two months. But the attackers could not succeed due to strict security measures, he claimed.

The Sarband police station SHO, when contacted, said that the explosive weighed about 500 grams. “We are alert to deal with the terrorists,” he said.