MIRANSHAH - A bomb planted by unknown miscreants destroyed an election office of an independent candidate from NA-40, North Waziristan Agency late Friday night.
Unknown miscreants dynamited the election office of Aqal Zaman near Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan Agency, However, no human loss was reported in the blast. The office was partially damaged.
A time device, which was planted near the office of Aqal Khan went off but did not cause any loss of life because it was late in the night, official sources said.
Nobody has so far claimed responsibility for the incident. The attack came hours after a car bomb exploded outside the election office of a candidate for the Awami National Party (ANP) in Karachi, killing 10 people and wounding 17 others.
“A time device, which was planted near the office of Aqal Khan, an independent candidate contesting the May 11 polls, went off but did not cause any loss of life because it was late in the night,” a local security official told AFP.
The blast however destroyed Khan’s election office and a few nearby shops.
Another official, who confirmed the bombing, said nobody has so far claimed responsibility for the incident.
Agencies add: Miscreants set ablaze residence of an independent candidate in PS-44 (Matiari) in Sindh.
Nargis, an independent candidate contesting from PS-44 (Matiari), told a private TV that her opponents were scared of her popularity and set on fire his home.
Nargis is contesting against Makhdoom Rafiq Zaman of PPP, Muhammad Jamote of PML-F and another independent candidate Ali Raza Channa. She has appealed to the Election Commission of Pakistan to take notice of the incident, adding that she won’t quit the electoral race.
The May 11 polls are due to mark the first democratic transition of power after a civilian government has served a full, five-year term in a country that has been ruled by generals for half its life.
But a wave of attacks and threats against politicians and election workers have marred the run-up to the polls. At least 36 people have been killed by bombers and gunmen since April 11 in different parts of the country including Karachi and Peshawar, according to a tally.