Pakistan elections 2018: Three days before polls, PTI candidate Ikramullah Gandapur killed in suicide blast
Updated Jul 22, 2018 | 15:56 IST | Times Now Digital
Pakistan elections 2018: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI ) candidate Ikramullah Gandapur was injured in an explosion that took place in Dera Ismail Khan on Sunday. The blast, suspected to be a suicide attack, took place in Kolachi area of Dera Ismail Khan.
Ikramullah Gandapur |Photo Credit: YouTube
New Delhi/Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Ikramullah Gandapur was killed in a suicide blast that took place in Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan) on Sunday, just three days before the country goes to polls.
Gandapur's driver was also killed while his two security guards suffered injuries in the explosion, the Dawn reported.
The explosion took place in Kolachi area of Dera Ismail Khan. The report quoted police as saying that the PTI leader was targeted near his residence while he was leaving to attend a political convention. Gandapur, a PTI candidate, was fighting elections on a provincial assembly seat from PK-99 constituency.
The police reportedly believe that a remote-control bomb had triggered the explosion, though the nature of the blast was yet to be ascertained. Police and security forces had reached the blast site soon after the explosion and had cordoned off the area, reports said.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, PTI chief Imran Khan had taken to Twitter to condemn the attack and wished his party candidate a speedy recovery. “Strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack against Ikram Khan Gandapur and his convoy today. May Allah grant Ikram and the other injured a speedy recovery,” Khan tweeted.
Strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack against Ikram Khan Gandapur and his convoy today. May Allah grant Ikram and the other injured a speedy recovery.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI)
July 22, 2018
Notably, Gandapur’s brother, Israrullah Gandapur, who was a PTI provincial minister, was also killed in a suicide bombing in October 2013 at their residence in Kalachi, Geo News reported. Ikramullah has served as the provincial agricultural minister in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, led by PTI.
On July 13, a deadly blast had ripped through the election rally of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) Nawabzada Siraj Raisani in Mastung, killing at least 130 people, including Raisani, and injuring 300 others.
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