KHAR, Bajaur   -   An improvised explosive device (IED) blast targeted a vehicle, killing former Senator Hidayatullah Khan and four others in the Mamund Tehsil of Bajaur tribal district on Wednesday.

Local police said the blast occurred in the Damadola area, where former senator Hidayatullah Khan’s vehicle was targeted. The former senator, along with his companions, was returning to the district headquarters Khar after participating in an election campaign in Damadola.

The administration at Khar Hospital confirmed that the explosion resulted in the deaths of former senator Hidayatullah Khan, Malik Irfan of Nayag Mamund, Nazaruddin of Nawagai, Yar Muhammad of Nawagai, and Samiur Rehman of Inaam Khoro Cheena in Mamund. The bodies were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar for post-mortem examinations before being handed over to their families.

Hidayatullah Khan served as a senator from 2012 to 2024. He was elected twice as an independent senator from the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). He also held positions as a member of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation.

Hidayatullah Khan hailed from Nawagai area in Bajaur and was the younger brother of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah Khan and the son of former Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Haji Bismillah Khan. The deceased was also a brother of Dr Inayatullah Khan, an eye specialist at PIMS Hospital in Islamabad.

Hidayatullah Khan had visited Damadola to support his nephew, Najibullah Khan, an independent candidate contesting the upcoming by-election for the PK-22 seat of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on July 11. The tragic incident occurred as they were returning to Khar after the election campaign.

Second blast in Khar: Meanwhile, another blast in the district headquarter Khar also claimed one life.

A spokesman for Bajaur Police said that the second blast took place in Peshto area, killing a resident identified as Sabz Ali Khan.

Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the incident and summoned a report from police authorities. “All aspects of the incident should be investigated and a report should be submitted,” he was quoted as saying in a statement.

KP government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif offered prayers for the deceased and said: “Such cowardly attacks cannot dampen our spirits.”

President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, expressed regret over the deaths due to a “remote-controlled bomb”. He strongly condemned the attack and extended his condolences to the family members of the victims. Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani, Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan, house leader Ishaq Dar and opposition leader Shibli Faraz also condemned the attack. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi too strongly condemned the lives lost in the blast.

KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry condemned the attack, saying that it was very unfortunate. “We will not be discouraged by such cowardly attacks. The martyrdom of the former senator and others will not go in vain,” he said, extending his condolences to the relatives of the three.

“Ending the monster of terrorism should be the agreed agenda of all the democratic parties of the country,” PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said while responding to the attack.

“Senator Hidayatullah always highlighted the problems of former Fata in the House. Tribal areas have been deprived of a strong voice. The PPP stands in solidarity with the family members of senator Hidayatullah and we are with them in their demand for the end of terrorism and justice,” said PPP Senator Sherry Rehman.

Awami National Party (ANP) President Aimal Wali Khan also condemned the attack and criticised security agencies, asking if they would answer for the incident.

“Just a few days before the by-elections, such incidents are a question mark on security in Bajaur and a complete failure of the security agencies. ANP strongly condemns the cowardly attack and demands that the perpetrators and facilitators involved in the incident be strictly punished,” he said in a post on X.

Hidayatullah joined the PTI in 2018, a move which was resented by local party activists. His father was former MNA Haji Bismillah Khan while his elder brother was former KP governor Shaukatullah Khan. According to the Senate website, he was an independent senator from March 2018 to March 2024.

In January, he had submitted a resolution in the Senate Secretariat, which stated that the upper house of Parliament had taken note of an increase in attacks targeting candidates. The resolution had urged the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court to delay general elections for three months due to security challenges.