DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Former minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) candidate Sardar Ikram Khan Gandapur was killed in a bomb blast at his car in DI Khan on Sunday.
The election for PK-99 has been postponed by the election commission after his death was announced.
Gandapur, who was the PTI’s candidate from PK-99, was initially injured along with 10 others in the attack in Kulachi tehsil, said rescue officials. They were taken to District Headquarters Hospital DI Khan. Three policemen are said to also have been injured.
Police said Gandapur sustained serious wounds along with 10 others in a suicide blast near his vehicle in Kulachi area of DI Khan.
They were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital where the PTI leader was initially stated to be in critical condition, but later succumbed to his injuries. His driver was also killed in the attack.
By about 1500hrs, his remains were taken for a post mortem to the DHQ, said DPO Zahoor Afridi.
A suicide bomber blew himself up near the vehicle of Ikram Khan Gandapur as he left his house for election campaign, district police chief Zaheer Afridi said.
A large contingent of security personnel swarmed the blast site and cordoned it off for security purposes.
A mutilated body was found near the vehicle. It is feared that it was a suicide bomber. Police cordoned off the area.
The former minister is in the run for a provincial assembly seat (PK-99). He remained provincial agricultural minister in the previous government of the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This is the latest in a series of attacks targeting election candidates in the country in the past few weeks.
On July 13, more than 150 people were killed and 180 injured in two separate terror attacks during election-related activities in Balochistan and KP.
Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) candidate Nawabzada Siraj Raisani was among 142 people killed in a suicide attack on an election rally in the Mastung area. Around 150 people were injured in the tragic incident.
Separately, a bomb targeted the convoy of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) candidate Akram Khan Durrani in a Bannu this morning. He, however, escaped unhurt while four people were killed and 14 others injured in attack. INP
