PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain was arrested on Sunday after the killing of a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) activist in Pabbi area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district.

A clash between activists of ANP and PTI occurred near residence of Mian Iftikhar Hussain in Pabbi area after the Saturday night announcement of the area’s results of the Local Government polls held on Saturday.

A PTI activist, identified as Habibullah, died of gunshot wounds suffered during the clash. A case was registered against the veteran ANP leader and his guards on various charges including murder and attempted murder over the complaint of the deceased’s father.

The situation in the area turned tense after police arrested the former information minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

As police failed to control the situation additional contingents of security men, including Army personnel, were called in to diffuse the tension prevailing in the area.

ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan talking to media said that jailing of its leaders and activists was not new to the party and the arrest of Mian Iftikhar was part of PTI’s revenge tactics.

At least six people had died and dozens other wounded during scuffles among supporters of candidates at various polling stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The violence claimed five lives in Charsadda alone whereas55 people were wounded in the provincial capital city of Peshawar during the largest local government elections held in Khyber Pakhtunklhwa’s history. The elections were marred with brawls, chaos, violence, mismanagement and a complicated balloting process.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police registered a total of 87 First Information reports (FIRs) and arrested 197 people for violence during local government polling in the province, according to a spokesperson of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police.

The spokesperson added that 35 Ak-47 rifles, 10 shotguns, 7 repeater guns, 46 handguns and 1,830 rounds were also recovered from the arrested persons. =DNA

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