Peshawar: A top Pakistani provincial minister was on Wednesday assassinated by a suicide bomber who forced his way into an Eid gathering at the politician's house and detonated his explosive-laden vest, killing seven others in the restive northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Officials said the suicide bomber opened fire killing two guards posted outside the residence and then entered the gathering of Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government Israrullah Khan Gandapur in
Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan.
The 32-year-old Israrullah was receiving Eid greetings from the residents of the area, when the suicide bomber blew himself up as he neared the minister. About 500 people were present when the bomber struck.
Israrullah was the son of former provincial Chief Minister Inayatullah Khan Gandapur who ruled the province in the early seventies. Israrullah was elected as an independent candidate during the 2013 general elections but later joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
His brother Ikramullah also sustained minor wounds in the suicide blast. Thirty people, injured in the blast, were shifted to Khan Hospital from Kulachi tehsil.
Expressing shock, Tehreek-e-Insaf party chief Imran Khan tweeted, "It is imperative the federal govt move forward to implement political consensus arrived at APC. KP ppl and government are frontline targets."
Imran has been pitching for talks with the Taliban who have stepped up their attacks in the region. President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
have strongly condemned the blast. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has sought report from IG Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the incident.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shaukatullah and Chief Minister Parvez Khattak have strongly condemned the attack.
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