Pakistan’s former PTI senator Hidayatullah Khan, along with two others, was killed on Wednesday in a blast in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as reported by Dawn. According to Muhammad Ali Khan Gandapur, the Regional Police Officer of Malakand, Hidayatullah Khan’s car was specifically targeted in an attack in Damadola area of Bajaur. Sajjad Ahmad, the District Police Officer of Bajaur, informed Dawn.com that the bomb disposal unit was investigating the incident, with further details awaited upon completion of their report. Ahmad added that the former senator was en route to campaign for a by-election in Damadola when the attack occurred.
The by-election for PK 22 Provincial Assembly Constituency is due on July 12. Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province Ali Amin Gandapur and Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry both have condemned the blast. “The blast is a condemnable act which can not deter the resolve of the government and the people against terrorism,” Chaudhry said.
Chief Minister Gandapur sought a detailed report from the provincial police chief covering all aspects of the incident.
President Asif Ali Zardari too strongly condemned the terrorist incident and mourned for the deaths of the ex-senator and other persons in the Bajaur bomb blast. Ullah was elected as an independent senator twice — from 2012 to 2018 and 2018 to 2024 — besides serving as the Upper House’s Standing Committee for Aviation’s chairman and a member of the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA), newspaper The News International said.
Hidayatullah joined the PTI in 2018, a decision that faced opposition from local party members. His father, Haji Bismillah Khan, served as a former MNA, while his elder brother, Shaukatullah Khan, was a former KP governor.
According to the Senate website, he served as an independent senator from March 2018 to March 2024. In January, he submitted a resolution at the Senate Secretariat highlighting the upper house of Parliament’s concern over an uptick in attacks targeting candidates. The resolution called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court to consider postponing the general elections for three months, citing significant security challenges.