PESHAWAR: The enraged local people on Tuesday torched the house of a person, who along with other accomplices had allegedly attacked the residence of Awami National Party leader Khushdil Khan in the limits of the Badhber police station.

Police said that the attacker identified as Banus along with his seven other accomplices opened firing on the farmhouse of ANP leader on Monday evening.

No casualties were reported in the attack. However, after the incident local people gathered at the residence of Khushdil Khan and later stormed the house of Banus.

The mob pulled down his residence and torched it; however, there were no injuries as no one was present in the house.

Mr Khan, also a former deputy speaker of provincial assembly, told Dawn that he owned a farmhouse near his village in Badhber. On Monday evening when he was present at his farm along with some other government officials, the attackers opened firing on the gate of his farmhouse, he added.

The ANP leader said that the local people torched the attacker’s house when they came to know about the incident. He said that that the attackers were criminals. Police sources said that apparently the incident was result of a property dispute. They said that Banus was wanted in murder case registered in Mattani police station and that later court granted him a bail.

Police sources said that they would take action against those people, who took law into their hands.

A police statement issued here said that SSP operations Abbas Majeed Marwat and other police officers rushed to the area and held talks with the ANP leader and his supporters.

It said that Mr Marwat directed the local police to take strict action against the people, who were responsible for the attack.

However, Badhber police station as well senior police officers could not be contacted for their comments despite repeated attempts.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2016