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A PTI-affiliated independent candidate was shot dead in the Siddiqabad area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa\u2019s Bajaur district on Wednesday, according to police.<\/p>\n
The incident comes a day after four people were killed<\/a> while six were wounded in a bomb blast at a PTI rally in Balochistan\u2019s Sibi.<\/p>\n Khar Police Station House Officer (SHO) Rasheed Khan said Rehan Zeb Khan was canvassing in the area when unidentified armed men opened fire on his vehicle.<\/p>\n The cop said Rehan was taken to the District Headquarters Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. According to the SHO, four other people were also injured in the attack.<\/p>\n Bajaur District Police Officer Kashif Zulfiqar told Dawn.com<\/em> that the incident appeared to be a \u201ctargeted killing\u201d. He said that law enforcement authorities were conducting a search operation in the area.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the PTI said Rehan was a \u201cparty-backed candidate for a National Assembly seat\u201d and strongly condemned the killing. It said that the fact that PTI-affiliated candidates and public gatherings were being targeted by \u201cterrorist attacks\u201d raised a \u201cbig question mark\u201d on the fairness of polls.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the attack on PTI\u2019s election rally in Sibi, the responsibility for the killing of the [party-backed] National Assembly candidate is on the incompetent caretaker government,\u201d the party said.<\/p>\n The party demanded an immediate probe into the attack, adding that those responsible should be punished. It further stated that security should be provided to all PTI-backed candidates participating in the polls and called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take notice of the incident.<\/p>\n It alleged that the caretaker government was focused on bringing one particular political party to power instead of discharging its constitutional responsibilities.<\/p>\n In a separate post, the party called on the chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of today\u2019s incident as well as yesterday\u2019s blast at a PTI rally in Sibi.<\/p>\n PTI\u2019s Hammad Azhar said that Rehan symbolised the country\u2019s youth. Hammad said Rehan had wanted a better future for the people and was struggling in this regard.<\/p>\n Former provincial minister and party leader Taimur Khan Jhagra called Rehan Zeb a \u201cdie-hard PTI worker and aspirant\u201d.<\/p>\n The ECP also took notice of the killing. Although it did not name Rehan, it said that it had taken notice of the killing of a candidate from NA-8 Bajaur.<\/p>\n The electoral watchdog sought a report from the KP chief secretary and police chief and directed that those responsible be punished.<\/p>\n Separately, in a media talk later in the day, the caretaker chief minister of KP said the provincial government was prepared for the upcoming general elections but at the same time admitted that there were security concerns in some areas.<\/p>\n He also directed the KP police chief to prepare a report on today\u2019s incident within three days.<\/p>\n On the other hand, a worker belonging to the Awami National Party (ANP) was killed during the party\u2019s election campaign in Balochistan\u2019s Qila Abdullah.<\/p>\nANP worker killed in Balochistan\u2019s Qila Abdullah<\/h2>\n