At least five people, including former senator Hidayatullah, were killed on Wednesday after a “remote-controlled” bomb targeted their vehicle in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, according to police.
Authorities said the incident occurred when the former senator was returning from Bajaur’s Damadola village, where he attended a campaign event for PK-22 candidate Najeebullah Khan, his nephew. The former independent senator from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) areas, per police, was warned against traveling to the restive region owing to security concerns arising from the current resurgence of terrorism in the country.
Apart from Hidayatullah, police said Malik Irfan from the tribal district’s Niag Banda area and Nazar Deen from Nawagai town were also among the deceased.
Hidayatullah was elected as an independent senator from the erstwhile FATA areas twice—from 2012-18 and again from 2018-24. During his time in the Upper House, he served as the chairman of the Standing Committee for Aviation and a member of the National Counter-Terrorism Authority. He hailed from a political family, with his father, Haji Bismillah Khan a former MNA and his brother, Shaukatullah a former governor.
Condemning the bombing, President Asif Zardari mourned the deaths of the former senator and his colleagues, and offered condolence to the families of the deceased and prayed for the eternal rest of the departed souls.
Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, similarly, condemned the “cowardly attack” and expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives. He recalled Hidayatullah as a lawmaker who worked tirelessly for the welfare and prosperity of the people and the country.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also offered his condemnations and extended condolences to the families of the victims.