Rehan Zeb Khan, an independent presidential candidate affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was assassinated this Thursday in the middle of the election campaign. The presidential elections are scheduled for Feb. 8.
"[Khan] was shot in a 'targeted killing' when gunmen opened fire on his car in a market in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to district police. Three other people were injured," CNN explained, citing police sources.
CNN also reported that the self-proclaimed Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, claimed responsibility for the attack.
This is the second candidate murdered in recent weeks. Malik Kaleem Ullah, an independent candidate for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly, was shot and killed on Jan. 10.
"In response to the violence, Pakistan’s Election Commission (ECP) summoned an emergency meeting of security officials on Thursday to discuss the “deteriorating” law and order situation," CNN explained.
The murder of Rehan Zeb Khan comes just a few days after Imran Jan, former prime minister of Pakistan, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for revealing state secrets and 14 years for a corruption case. The politician had already been disqualified from participating in the Feb. 8 election due to another conviction for corruption handed down last year.
