Independent candidate shot dead in Pakistan

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A candidate in Pakistan’s general elections was shot dead while campaigning on Wednesday, police said, an incident likely to underscore concerns among political leaders that rising militant attacks could threaten the holding of the Feb. 8 polls.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack that killed three people including Malik Kaleem Ullah, an independent candidate for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly. North Waziristan police chief Rohan Zaib Khan told Reuters that Kaleem Ullah was campaigning door to door when he was attacked.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mir Aslam Buledi, a Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) National Assembly candidate from the south-western province of Balochistan, was seriously injured in an armed attack, Deputy Commissioner for Turbat Hassan Jan Baloch told Reuters.

Elections in the politically and economically troubled South Asian nation have been scheduled for Feb. 8 after several delays. Last week the senate passed a non-binding resolution to further delay the elections, citing security concerns and a harsh winter in northern areas.

Islamist militants, who aim to overthrow the government and install their own brand of strict Islamic law in the predominantly Muslim country of 241 million people, have stepped up attacks since revoking a ceasefire agreement with the government in late 2022. (REUTERS)