2 killed as gunmen attack former minister's office

Islamabad: Unidentified gunmen yesterday attacked an election office of former federal minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmad in Rawalpindi, killing two people and injuring several others, police said.

Domestic television channels, quoting relatives and aides of the former minister, reported that he was also injured in the firing. The reports said four people were killed in the attack.

The assailants fled after the firing at the election office located in densely-populated Khyaban Sir Syed neighbourhood in the garrison city. Reports said four attackers were involved in the firing incident. Ahmad, head of his own political faction named Awami Muslim League (AML), is a candidate in a national assembly by-elections scheduled for February 24. He is pitted against Shakeel Awan, a candidate of former premier Nawaz Sharif's party Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N).

No clues

Police have no immediate clues about who could be behind the attack. Supporters of Ahmad, who took to the streets after the incident, shouted slogans against the PML-N.

Ahmad, who was close to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, separated from the former ruling PML-Q after the February 8 general election in which he was defeated by Javed Hashmi, a central PML-N leader. PML-Q is backing his bid to regain his lost political standing in Rawalpindi where he has never suffered a defeat in any election before the 2008 polls.

The PML-N dismissed allegations against it as baseless propaganda. Its information secretary Ahsan Iqbal said PML-N was well placed to win the by-election and it was ridiculous to claim that it would do anything to damage its own image.

He said the PML-N government in Punjab had ordered a thorough inquiry into the incident and facts would be brought before the public soon.

Insecurity

The incident added a sense of insecurity which is prevailing in the country as a result of recurring acts of terrorism.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and politicians of other parties have condemned the incident.