WANA: Arif Wazir, a key leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) who suffered serious injuries in a gun attack in South Waziristan tribal district on Friday, died in Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Saturday.

His body was later sent to Wana, the district headquarters of South Waziristan.

Family members said he would be laid to rest in Ghwa Khwa, his native village.

The funeral prayer for Arif Wazir was held in Dera Ismail Khan on Saturday night before the body was taken to Ghwa Khwa. A large number of people, including PTM activists, attended the funeral prayer.

Arif Wazir, the first cousin of MNA Ali Wazir, left behind a widow, two sons and three daughters.

Arif Wazir was strolling outside his residence in Ghwa Khwa near Wana on Friday when armed men opened fire on him from a car. He received injuries and was shifted to a hospital in Wana.

He was provided first aid at the hospital in Wana and later shifted to Pims.

Officials of Pims told Dawn that he was brought to the hospital at around 6:30am with bullet injures in his head. He was operated by a team of surgeons and later kept at the Surgical ICU Ward, where he died at around 10:30am, he added.

Police in Wana said that an FIR had been registered against unknown attackers.

Munawer Azeem in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2020