PESHAWAR, Oct 7: The co-pilot of a Cessna aircraft was killed when his plane came under fire while dropping leaflets over the Khyber Agency near here on Monday, officials of the CAA said.

Lahore Flying Club’s light Cessna aircraft was dropping leaflets when it came under fire from the ground by the tribesmen who were attending a public meeting in connection with the election campaign of Maulana Khalilur Rehman, a candidate for NA-46 Tribal Area-II/Khyber Agency-II.

According to Combined Military Hospital’s duty officers, Flt-Lt Captain Ahmed Israr, son of Mian Israr advocate of Lahore, died before he was brought to the hospital. He had received a bullet in the head.

The body was shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital for autopsy, said the sources.

According to preliminary reports, an independent candidate from Khyber Agency Haji Mohammad Ayub hired the four-seater Cessna for his election campaign.