PESHAWAR, Oct 9: An independent candidate, Mohammad Khursheed advocate, who is contesting for NA-1, Peshawar-I, shot and wounded himself at a news conference here at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday.

He was immediately taken to the Lady Reading Hospital, where his condition was reported to be stable. A former interior minister and PPP candidate from Nowshera, Naseerullah Khan Babar was also present on the occasion.

After lashing out at the PPP’s provincial leadership, Mr Khursheed said suicide was forbidden in Islam. If Islam allowed this, he would have committed suicide against the party’s alliance with the ANP in Peshawar, he added.

He took out a pistol from his side pocket and fired point-blank at his left-hand palm. This stunned Nasirullah Babar and the newsmen listening to him. The blood started oozing out of his wound and he himself turned pale.

His supporters rushed him to the hospital for treatment. Later, the area police came to the venue and inquired about the incident.

Mr Khursheed, a dissident of the PPP, who was opposed to the party’s seat adjustment with the ANP in Peshawar, decided to contest for NA-1, Peshawar as an independent candidate.

PPP provincial chief Khwaja Mohammad Khan Hoti and others urged him to obey the party decision, but Mr Khursheed turned down all requests. Later, Mr Hoti suspended his party’s basic membership for violating the party decision.

Mr Khursheed continued with his electioneering in the old city areas and accused some of his party office-bearers of inflicting political losses on PPP in the name of forging electoral alliance.

During her telephonic talks with the newsmen at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday, PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto also requested Mr Khursheed to withdraw from the race in favour of the ANP-PPP joint candidate. She advised him to obey the party decision, even if it was carried out against his wishes.

On his arrival at the PPC, it was expected that he (Khursheed) would announce his retirement for the race, but left the newsmen dumbfounded by his act of shooting himself.

Earlier, Naseerullah Babar supported the political stand of Mr Khursheed against the ANP-PPP alliance and said: “I am opposed to the seat adjustment with the ANP. We have not formed alliance with anybody in Nowshera.”

Commenting on the unique style of protest, Mr Babar said he was a sensitive man, he did all this in tension.

The police registered a case under Section 337-H of PPC and Section 13 of Arms Ordinance. However, Mr Khursheed told the police that he got himself injured accidentally when his pistol fell on the ground.

The police placed him under detention at the LRH.