Imran Khan's party candidate killed in attack days before Pakistan-elections
Three days ahead of general elections in Pakistan, a candidate from Imran Khan's PTI party was killed in a suicide attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The guard and driver of Ikramullah Gandapur, the provincial agriculture minister, were killed too. Four were injured. Earlier this month, nearly 150 died in a suicide blast at a Balochistan election rally addressed by Balochistan Awami Party leader Siraj Raisani.
Gandapur's brother, a former minister, was also killed in suicide-attack
Gandapur was elected to the Dera Ismail Khan PK-67 seat after his brother, his predecessor and former Law Minister Israrulah Gandapur, was killed in a suicide attack in 2013. The candidate was targeted when he was traveling in his car. Visuals from the spot showed three bleeding and unconscious passengers inside a ravaged black SUV. Police are conducting Gandapur's post-mortem.
Elsewhere, Imran Khan's opposition candidate survives second assassination attempt
Around the same time when Gandapur came under attack, Jamiat-Ulema-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Akram Khan Durrani, a former CM, survived the second assassination attempt in 10 days. He was on his way to a political convention when gunmen ambushed him in Bannu. He remained unhurt. Durrani is contesting for the NA-35 seat under the Muttahida Majlise-e-Amal (MMA) banner against Imran Khan.
A spate of attacks in the run-up to the elections
A spate of bombings has rocked Pakistan lately. On July 13, four were killed and 40 injured when Durrani came under attack. The same day, a blast in Balochistan's Mastung killed 149 and wounded more than 200. The elections are witnessing two main contenders: PTI and PML(N). The latter is hoping for a comeback despite the recent imprisonment of former PM Nawaz Sharif.
