PESHAWAR, Aug 16: Ms Najma Hanif, leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), was shot dead by some unidentified people in the Hayatabad area of Peshawar on Friday night.

She hailed from Swabi.

Her husband, Mohammad Hanif, was killed in a bomb blast in Peshawar about a year ago.

Police said the ANP leader had not informed the authorities about any threat to her life.

Police said she was shot dead in her own house in Hayatabad.

She was a candidate for reserved seats for women in the May elections from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Police said they had cordoned off the area and were searching for the murderers.