Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], July 11 (ANI): Awami National Party (ANP) leader Maulana Khan Zeb and a police personnel were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Bajaur district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday, Dawn reported, citing police.

Speaking to Dawn, Bajaur District Police Officer (DPO) Waqas Rafiq said that Zeb was shot dead while campaigning for the July 13 peace parade in Shindai Mor, adding that a policeman was also killed in the attack.

Rafiq said, 'Three other people were injured in the shooting.' He said, 'This was a targeted killing carried out by unidentified shooters on motorcycles.' He further said that evidence had been gathered from the site of the attack.

As per the party website, Maulana Khan Zeb was a member of the ANP's central cabinet and served as secretary of ulema affairs. ANP President Senator Aimal Wali Khan has condemned the killing of Zeb and announced that the party would file a first information report against the state, Dawn reported.

'State institutions are complicit in this incident because they have maintained criminal silence,' Aimal Wali Khan was quoted as saying.

He said, 'After consulting with Khan Zeb's elder brother, Sheikh Jahanzada, an FIR for the killing will be registered against the state.' He also shared pictures of himself and Maulana Khan Zeb on the social media platform X, along with the caption 'devastated.'

https://x.com/AimalWali/status/1943280322512326835

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the killing of Maulana Khan Zeb and demanded an impartial and swift inquiry into the incident. It called on the government to ensure that normalcy returns to the terror-stricken districts of the province.

In a statement shared on X, HRCP stated, 'HRCP condemns the killing of Maulana Khan Zeb, a leading peace campaigner and political leader of the ANP, who was assassinated by unknown assailants in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, earlier today. We demand a swift and impartial inquiry into this tragic incident. The federal and provincial governments must ensure that normalcy returns to the terror-stricken districts of the province and that people who have suffered for decades can lead their lives peacefully and without fear.'

https://x.com/HRCP87/status/1943308656948506946 This year, Bajaur Member of National Assembly Mubarak Zeb Khan's house was attacked twice, Dawn reported. An improvised explosive device exploded outside his house in May, and a rocket was launched at his residence in June. He was not present at home during the IED attack and was not hurt during the second attack. (ANI)