Left-Wing Candidates Increasingly Targeted by Pakistani Taliban
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(ISLAMABAD) — Bombings at two political candidates’ offices left nine people dead and over 30 injured in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it opposes any secular candidates ahead of the May 11 parliamentary election.
Sunday’s bombings were just the latest in a string of attacks over the past several weeks related to the election. It’s estimated that 50 people have been killed with scores more wounded.
Police said that a remote-controlled explosive device was used to blow up the office of independent candidate Syed Noor Akbar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Six died in the explosion with 21 hurt.
Meanwhile, a bomb attached to a bicycle destroyed the office of independent candidate Nasir Khan Afridi in a suburb of Peshawar, leaving three dead and 10 wounded.
Neither candidate was believed to be in their office at the time of the blasts.
The Pakistani Taliban says it is targeting three left-leaning parties during the run-up to the vote in two weeks.
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