DADU, April 28: A PML-N activist was gunned down by a group of armed men on the Indus Highway near Talbani village, 12 kilometres from here on Sunday.

Local PML-N leaders have accused PPP candidates of Sehwan of being involved in the murder of Shahnawaz Panhwar and said he had been receiving threats for a couple of days.

According to Panhwar’s relatives, he was on a motorcycle when he was ambushed by the armed men who escaped after shooting him dead. The enraged relatives and PML-N activists brought the body to the town and held a protest after placing it at SSP chowk on the Dadu-Larkana section of the Indus Highway.

Panhwar’s brother Allah Dino, PML-N candidates for NA-232 and PS-74 Karim Ali Jatoi and Syed Zaffar Ali Shah and other party leaders led the protest.

Karim said while addressing the protesters that Panhwar was killed at the behest of PPP leaders of Sehwan who wanted to stop him from mobilising public for PML-N candidates.

He said that Panhwar had been receiving threats from PPP leadership but he had refused to bow to pressure. He was on way to a nearby village for campaigning when he came under attack and killed, he said.

Allah Dino, late Panhwar’s brother, said that after having organised a successful public meeting for PML-N leader Liaquat Ali Jatoi and his son Karim Ali Jatoi a few days ago, his brother received threats from local PPP leader Dr Imdad Shah, a close relative of PPP candidate for PS-73 Syed Murad Ali Shah. He believed his brother had been killed on directives of Imdad Shah, he said.

The president of the PML-N’s women win of Dadu chapter, Zahidan Bhand, demanded registration of a murder case against PPP leaders and warned the party would not end its demonstration till the case of murder was registered.

Dadu SSP Noorul Haq said after meeting PML-N leaders Karim Jatoi, Syed Zaffar Ali Shah and Zahidan Bhand that the case would be lodged against the killers after conducting probe. Dadu DSP and SHO of Khudabad had been directed to conduct the probe, he said.

PPP’s Syed Murad Ali Shah said that Dr Imdad Shah was a gentleman. He was a government officer and could not be involved in Panhwar’s murder, he said.

He said that PML-N leadership was trying to take political mileage from the murder and get a fake FIR lodged against a gentleman and PPP leaders. He said he had sympathy with the deceased family but the FIR should be lodged against genuine killers.

Dr Imdad Shah said that he had never threatened Panhwar and was not involved in his murder in any way.