Former senator, 3 others killed in car bomb blast in restive northwest Pakistan

Peshawar, July 3

A former Senator and three others were assassinated in a car bomb blast triggered through a remote-control device in restive northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, police said.

Hidayat Ullah was in the Damadola area of Mamond Bajaur tribal district bordering Afghanistan in connection with a by-election campaign for his nephew Najeeb Ullah Khan when the blast occurred.

The by-election for PK 22 Provincial Assembly Constituency is due on July 12.

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Ali Amin Gandapur and Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry both have condemned the blast.

“The blast is a condemnable act which can not deter the resolve of the government and the people against terrorism,” Chaudhry said.

Chief Minister Gandapur sought a detailed report from the provincial police chief covering all aspects of the incident.

President Asif Ali Zardari too strongly condemned the terrorist incident and mourned for the deaths of the ex-senator and other persons in the Bajaur bomb blast.

Ullah was elected as an independent senator twice — from 2012 to 2018 and 2018 to 2024 — besides serving as the Upper House’s Standing Committee for Aviation’s chairman and a member of the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA), newspaper The News International said.