Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) provincial council member Hafiz Maulana Abdul Salam Arif was shot dead by unidentified motorcyclists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district on Tuesday, according to a police officer.

According to Investigating Officer (IO) Safdar Khan, the JUI member was on his way home after offering prayers at a mosque when he was attacked by two armed suspects on a motorcycle.

“The incident is being investigated from all possible angles,” the IO said. “Police have collected evidence from the crime scene and have also called in a team of experts to provide assistance.”

The IO added that the victim’s son filed a case with the Mandani police station.

In addition to being a provincial council member, the slain Abdul Salam was the head of Madressah Abu Bakar Siddique in Tehsil Tangi and the preacher at a mosque within the area of the Jamalabad Dairy Farm.

In July this year, Awami National Party politician Maulana Khan Zeb and a policeman were shot dead by unidentified suspects in KP’s Bajaur district, according to the police.

Bajaur District Police Officer (DPO) Waqas Rafiq told Dawn that the politician was shot dead in Shindai Mor while campaigning for the July 13 peace parade, adding that a policeman was also killed in the attack.

“Three other people were injured in the shooting,” DPO Rafiq said. “This was a targeted killing carried out by unidentified shooters on motorcycles.”