Two people, including Awami National Party (ANP) leader Maulana Khan Zaib, were killed in a gun attack on Thursday near the Khar Tehsil headquarters in Bajaur. According to District Police Officer (DPO) Waqas Rafiq, Maulana Zaib was targeted while campaigning for a peace march scheduled for July 13. Three of his associates were also injured in the shooting and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
My children are not allowed to speak on the phone to their father @ImranKhanPTI. He has been in solitary confinement in prison for nearly 2 years.
Pakistan’s government has now said if they go there to try to see him, they too will be arrested and put behind bars.
This doesn’t… https://t.co/ccM7QFPmlV pic.twitter.com/z2v6PKgHto— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) July 10, 2025
Maulana Khan Zaib served as the head of ANP’s Ulema Council and was a former candidate for the National Assembly.
The incident sparked a brief protest by ANP workers and local residents, which dispersed shortly after.
Read more: Jemima Goldsmith Slams Govt for Blocking Sons’ Contact with Imran Khan
Expressing sorrow on social media platform X, ANP President Senator Aimal Wali Khan posted a photo with the slain leader, captioning it simply: “Devastated.” ANP’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Mian Iftikhar Hussain also condemned the attack, announcing a three-day mourning period. He criticized state institutions for their silence, claiming the incident reflected a resurgence of militant activity in the region.
Maulana Zaib’s funeral prayers will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow in Nawagai, as confirmed by the ANP district president.
Adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Information, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, condemned the killing and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice, calling it an attack on the peace of the region.
This incident follows last week’s deadly blast in the same area — Tehsil Khar — which claimed five lives, including Assistant Commissioner Nawagai Faisal Ismail, Tehsildar Abdul Wakeel, two police officers, and a bystander. Eleven others, including five policemen, were wounded in that attack.