A former Pakistani senator who was running in a by-election was killed along with four others in a car attack near the Afghanistan border on Wednesday.
“It appears that the car carrying the former senator was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb,” a local police spokesman told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
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A former Pakistani senator who was running in a by-election was killed along with four others in a car attack near the Afghanistan border on Wednesday.
“It appears that the car carrying the former senator was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb,” a local police spokesman told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
“Investigations are currently on to determine the type of explosives used and who is responsible. However, there has been an increase in criminal activity in the area recently.”
Former senator Hidayatullah Khan, his two companions and two police officers were killed in Bajaur district, just 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the Afghan border, an area that has seen increased militant activity since the Taliban seized control of Kabul in 2021.
The deadly blast took place ahead of a July 11 by-election in which he was running as an independent candidate.
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In January, a candidate supporting jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan was shot dead in the same district ahead of general elections, with the local branch of the Islamic State claiming responsibility.
The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and groups affiliated with it, a separate but similar ideological group to the Afghan Taliban, are the most active in the region and primarily target security officials.
No group has claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, but the TTP has denied any involvement.
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Last month, the government announced the launch of a new counter-terrorism operation to help the military in the fight against extremists.
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