MIRAMSHAH: A grenade attack on an election office of a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate left 10 people injured in the Razmak area of North Waziristan district on Tuesday, officials said.

They said the explosive device exploded when PTI candidate for NA-48 Malik Aurangzeb Khan was inaugurating his election office in Razmak. A large number of the politician’s supporters were attending the ceremony when the grenade was lobbed.

Officials said that 10 people received injuries in the attack and were shifted to the hospital. Security forces cordoned off the area.

It was the first attack on the election office of a political party in the area. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

A total of 35 candidates are contesting the election for one National Assembly seat in North Waziristan. Political parties have allotted tickets to seven candidates in the area.

Meanwhile, the local administration imposed a curfew on several parts of North Waziristan after an attack on a vehicle on Monday night, which left two Levies personnel martyred and two other people injured.

The attackers ambushed the patrolling party in the Lund Muhammad Khel area of Boya tehsil at 10pm, leaving two Levies personnel dead on the spot and Moharar Reh­mat Hussain and another gu­ard injured.

The wounded officials were shifted to a local hospital in the area.

Following the attack, a curfew was imposed in areas from Hamzoni to Muhammad Khel for an indefinite period on Tuesday. Security forces and district administration launched a search operation in the area and sealed entry and exit points. However, no arrest was made.

Officials said the security personnel were conducting night patrolling when their vehicle came under attack. Incidents of targetted killing have witnessed a surge in North Waziristan over the past two months.y, regarding TIP’s interference in many state institutions.

“NAB believes that Transparency International has made an attempt to damage credibility of NAB, the institution which was formed to eradicate corruption from society,” it said.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2018