Peshawar: A former Pakistani senator was among five persons killed in a blast on Wednesday while they were campaigning for an upcoming by-election in the country’s northwestern Bajaur district, police and rescue officials confirmed.

Ex-senator Hidayat Ullah Khan was killed in a blast that targeted his vehicle in Bajaur district’s Damadola area while he was on his way to attend an election campaign for his nephew Najeeb Ullah, Bajaur Police Spokesperson Muhammad Israr Khan said. 

“The number of persons killed has reached 5.” Khan told Arab News. “Three were killed on the spot while the others were taken to the hospital and died during treatment.”

He said police were still ascertaining the intensity of the blast, adding that the Bomb Disposal Squad [BDS] was at the site to investigate the blast. 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Bilal Faizi had earlier said three persons had died in the blast. 

“Three dead bodies and one critically injured person were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Bajaur,” he said, adding that two others were injured in the incident. 

Khan, who was an independent senator from 2018 to 2024, was the son of former National Assembly lawmaker Hajji Bismillah Khan and the younger brother of ex-KP governor Shaukat Ullah Khan.

He was campaigning for his nephew Najeeb Ullah Khan, who is contesting the by-election on the PK-22 provincial assembly seat in Bajaur as an independent candidate where polling is set to take place on July 11. 

Polling on the PK-22 constituency was postponed on Feb. 8 after independent candidate Rehan Zeb was killed by unidentified men days before the election.

Both the provincial and National Assembly seats from the constituency were won by Zeb’s brother Mubarak Zeb. He decided to vacate the PK-22 seat in favor of the National Assembly one, following which Pakistan’s election regulator then announced polling for the PK-22 constituency on July 11. 

TTP DENIES RESPONSIBILITY

Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan to the west have seen a surge in militant attacks since Nov. 2022 when a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down. 

Pakistan blames the TTP for the surge in violence, accusing it of targeting Pakistani security forces, politicians and civilians from Afghanistan in a bid to enforce its strict version of Islamic law in the country. 

The TTP, however, did not take responsibility for the blast. In a statement released to the media, the banned outfit accused the Pakistan Army of killing the former senator to malign it. 

“We would like to reiterate once again that we consider only the security forces and their personnel as our targets,” the TTP said. 

Separately, PM Shehbaz Sharif condoled over the loss of lives in the blast. He directed authorities to apprehend those involved in the blast and bring them to book. 

“Terrorist elements are enemies of the country’s peace and democracy,” Sharif said. “We will not rest until we eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country.” 

Pakistan’s government announced last month it would launch a new anti-terrorism operation titled “Azm-e-Istehkam” or Resolve for Stability to root out militants in the country. 

KHAPLU, GILGIT-BALTISTAN: A 64-year-old Japanese climber, who summited the 7,027-meter high Spantik “Golden Peak” mountain earlier this week, was found dead in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region on Wednesday, officials confirmed.

Japanese mountaineer Onishi Hiroshi fell into a crevasse, a deep crack formed in glaciers or ice sheets, while descending from Camp II of the Spantik mountain on Tuesday, Nagar district’s Deputy Commissioner Ata ur Rehman Kakar said. 

Kakar said Hiroshi was part of a four-member team of Japanese climbers and two Pakistani porters, who summited Golden Peak on July 1. 

“The dead body has been recovered and the deceased identified as 64-year-old Japanese climber Onishi Hiroshi,” Kakar told Arab News. “The body has safely been brought to Camp I. The other three Japanese climbers are safe.”

In June, two Japanese climbers went missing during their attempt to summit the same peak. The body of Ryuseki Hiraoka, 55, was found 300 meters below Camp 3 while authorities were unable to locate the second climber, 36-year-old Atsushi Taguchi. 

Pakistan is home to five of the world’s tallest mountains that loom above 8,000 meters, including the K2 and Nanga Parbat mountains, known for their treacherous climbs.

Spantik, more popularly called the Golden Peak due to a distinct golden hue cast upon it at sunrise, is largely viewed as more accessible for climbers. 

Several climbers die in Pakistan every year while trying to reach the summit of some of the world’s highest mountains, including K2, which is in Pakistan’s north.