CHARSADDA, April 22 Provincial vice-president of Pakistan People's Party (Sherpao) and former MPA Alam Zeb Omarzai, his guard, driver and an SNGPL official were killed in an attack here on Thursday.

Former ANP provincial minister Bashir Khan Omarzai and his four sons, MPA Shakil Bashir Omarzai, Mansur, Khalil and Afzal, were nominated in the FIR lodged by a brother of the deceased, Mr Arshad.

Sources said some people ambushed the vehicle of PPP-S leader Alam Zeb in front of the gas company office in Mirzagan, killing Alam Zeb, his guard Mubarak Jan, who is an FC personnel, driver Rahim Gul and SNGPL sub-engineer Sher Jan. Mr Arshad told police that his brother Alam Zeb had stopped his car in front of the SNGPL office to pick an official, Sher Jan. As soon as Sher Jan boarded the car the accused opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle. Mr Arshad said he himself was in another vehicle.

Alam Zeb had escaped two murder attempts, one in 2002 and another in 2003, when he was the district nazim.

The bodies were brought to the District Headquarters Hospital. A large number of PPP-S leaders and workers, including provincial president Sikandar Sherpao and MPA Mohammad Ali Mohmand, rushed to the hospital.

The enraged party workers ransacked the hospital's administration office and fired in the air in protest against the killing of their leader. Party workers also blocked roads in Tangi and Peshawar, demanding immediate arrest of the killers. However, the party leaders convinced the workers to exercise restrain. Moving scenes were witnessed in the hospital and the party announced to observe three days of mourning.

Alam Zeb and his guard Mubarak Jan were laid to rest at their ancestral graveyard in Omarzai. PPP-S president Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, provincial chief Sikandar Sherpao and former Jamaat-i-Islam provincial minister Sirajul Haq attended the funeral prayers.

Talking to journalists after the funeral, PPP-S chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan termed the incident target killing and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.

Meanwhile, employees of the SNGPL also announced three days mourning on the killing of sub-engineer Sher Jan. They blocked the Peshawar-Charsadda road and burnt tyres, chanting slogans against the district administration and the provincial government.