Bid to sabotage PK-71 by-poll foiled

PESHAWAR: The police said Wednesday that a terror bid to sabotage the upcoming by-election on PK-71 in the provincial capital had been thwarted and four alleged saboteurs arrested besides recovering explosives from them.

The by-polls in the constituency are being held on Sunday (October 21). The seat was vacated by a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Shah Farman after he was appointed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor.

Zulfiqar Khan, brother of Governor Shah Farman, is a candidate of the PTI while Awami National Party supported by almost all the opposition parties has fielded Salahuddin Khan Mohmand for the by-poll.

"We constituted several teams after a tip-off that terrorists were planning to stage an attack in the area. During the operation, the police arrested four terrorists, Barkat, Zahidullah, Mohammadullah and Azizullah all hailing from Afghanistan," Superintendent of Police Saddar Sahibzada Sajjad told The News.

The official said the terrorists revealed during interrogation that they had planned to sabotage the by-election being held in PK-71. He continued the held terrorists also revealed other plans and their nvolvement in terrorism. The SP Saddar added that explosives, prima cord and five pistols were recovered from the terrorists during a raid in Shamshatoo Camp in the limits of the Urmar Police Station. "We are sending the pistols to the forensic sciences laboratory to check if these were used for target killings," said Sajjad.

Meanwhile, a police constable Zabardast Khan was wounded when criminals opened fire on a police party in the limits of Daudzai Police Station in rural Peshawar, officials said. They said that police arrested one Saddam Hussain for his involvement in the firing incident while raids were being conducted to arrest his accomplices.