SWABI: Two political activists were shot dead here in the Saleem Khan union council on the eve of local government elections in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday.

According to police, activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamaat-i-Islami were sitting at an election office set up in a hujra at Pullbanda in Saleem Khan village and discussing a strategy for Saturday’s vote when they were fired upon.

According to witnesses, two men on a motorcycle opened fire on them and managed to escape in the darkness.

Basher Muhammad of the JI and Muhammad Ishfaq of the PTI were killed.

The Swabi district police chief said a search operation had been launched in areas, including Afghan refugees’ camps, after the incident.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2015

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