سابق وزیر اطلاعات شیخ رشید احمد پر قاتلانہ حملہ۔۔۔ بال بال بچ گئے تین افراد جان بحق

The News - RAWALPINDI: Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief and a candidate for NA-55 (Rawalpindi) by-election Sheikh Rashid Ahmad was wounded, while three people — a guard and two party workers — were killed when four gunmen riding two motorcycles opened fire at him here on Monday evening.

The incident occurred when the former federal minister was coming out of his election office at Mohammadi Chowk in Khayaban-e-Sir Syed after a meeting with party workers. Over nine other people received injuries in the attack, police sources said.

Javed Akhtar, Shahzad and Anwarul Haq were among the dead, hospital sources and police said. The government had earlier postponed the by-election, fearing acts of terrorism but the Supreme Court recently ordered holding of the polls on a petition filed by Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Hospital sources said Sheikh Rashid did not receive any bullet injury but got his ankle injured after falling on the ground in a stampede after the attack. The attackers managed to escape. No group or terrorist outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Personal assistant to Sheikh Rashid, Javed Qureshi earlier told the media Sheikh Rashid had received bullet injuries on his legs and was shifted to the district headquarters hospital. However, doctors there said Sheikh Rashid received injuries after falling on the ground in the wake of the attack.

Sheikh Rashid accused the ruling PML-N-led Punjab government of masterminding the attack. A spokesman for the provincial government, however, promptly rejected the allegation.City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi, Rao Muhammad Iqbal Khan, confirmed the death of three persons in the attack.

He said the police were investigating the motive behind the attack.A party spokesman while talking to media persons claimed four persons were killed in the attack while dozens of others sustained multiple bullet injuries.

Rescuers of 1122 shifted bodies and injured to hospitals. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident, police sources said.