THE murder of Fareed Khan, a PTI provincial lawmaker in Hangu on Monday, is a brutal reminder of the challenges the party faces as it begins its rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The legislator was gunned down along with an associate while leaving his vehicle. As of now the motives behind Mr Khan’s murder are not clear. Though he was elected as an independent and later joined the PTI, Fareed Khan was also said to have links with sectarian outfit Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat. Hence there may be a sectarian angle to the killing as communal violence is not uncommon in Hangu. But it has also been reported that the slain lawmaker had been receiving threats from a TTP faction and a local leader of the militant outfit has been arrested in connection with the murder. While only a proper investigation can uncover the motive behind the killing, the MPA’s murder highlights the considerable task of maintaining law and order in KP.

In essence the honeymoon is over for the PTI-led provincial government as it now faces the stark reality of tackling militancy. While the ANP has borne the brunt of the militants’ bloody campaign over the past few years, the extremists are not averse to targeting individuals with similar ideology. In the past Maulana Fazlur Rehman has escaped assassination attempts while in May militants bombed an election meeting of JUI-F candidate Muneer Orakzai in Kurram. Militancy is a complex phenomenon and simply stating that dialogue with the insurgents will end the violence is naïve. The MPA’s murder should serve as a wake-up call to the PTI and other parties who believe the militants can be won over simply by inviting them to the negotiating table. The reality of tackling the militant threat is much more complicated.