PESHAWAR/CHarsadda - A pro-government tribal elder and Chief of Waziristan Malik Qadir Khan along with his two aides was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in North Waziristan Agency on Thursday.
According to details, Chief of Waziristan Malik Qadir Khan was travelling towards his village in Bannu district when unknown armed men opened firing at his vehicle near Chashmapur Bridge. As a result, he was killed along with his aides.
Sources said Malik Qadir Khan was on way to his village when the gunmen riding a car opened firing at his vehicle.
It has also been learnt that Qadir Khan’s guards also retaliated and one of the attackers was killed before fleeing the scene. However, it has not been confirmed.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack till filing of this report. Qadir Khan was a known tribal figure. He had represented tribesmen in jirgas and meetings with various high-ranking officials.
THREE SCHOOLS, BHU BLOWN UP IN KP, MOHMAND
Militants blew up three government schools and a basic health unit (BHU) with explosives in district Charsadda and Mohmand Agency in the wee hours of Thursday.
Police said Government Primary School Masho Khwar and a BHU Dagg situated in Saro Kalli area in tehsil Shanqadar of district Charsadda were blown up by militants by detonating the explosives planted inside the buildings. No one was present on the blast sites so there was no loss of human lives.
The building of the BHU was completely destroyed along with three rooms, furniture, medicines and other equipment. However, the school was damaged partially. The girls’ school and BHU were blown up at around 2 am at midnight, police said, adding they had registered a case against unidentified people and started investigations.
Similarly, in another happening, two more government schools were blown up in the Drwazgai area of Mohmand Agency early Thursday. According to local administration of the Agency, one was girls’ primary school while the other one was primary school for boys. They said no loss of human life was reported in the incident.
The locals said that explosives planted by militants at both the schools went off with a bang and the sound of the blasts was heard at far off villages.
Soon after the blasts, forces launched a search operation; however, no arrest was made. It is pertinent to mention here that hundreds of government schools have so far been blown up in both Fata and KPK in last several years by the miscreants. Some of them have also been reconstructed.