The Awami National Party — founded by ‘Frontier Gandhi’ Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s son Khan Abdul Wali Khan — came under terrorist attack for the third time in a week on Sunday as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) followed up on its threat to target the three “secular” parties.
Mukarram Shah, local ANP leader and a prominent member of Swat Peace Committee, was killed on Sunday afternoon in a blast targeting his vehicle, near Mingora. He was alone in the car.
An ANP rally was targeted in Charsadda, injuring a party leader and three others.
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TTP spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan claimed responsibility for the two attacks, maintaining that they were targeted because of the party’s secular views. Earlier this month, a former legislator of the party was killed when a remote-controlled bomb exploded near his vehicle in Bannu.
The TTP had warned people against attending election rallies of the ANP, the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). An MQM candidate was killed, allegedly by the TTP, in Hyderabad last week.