The election campaign motorcade of an ANP (Awami National Party) backed candidate, Malik Adnan Wazir, was hit by roadside bomb. He was campaigning in Wali Noor area of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a bid to get into National Assembly. Two of his supporters died in this incident.

The bomb blast shows just how hard it would be for ANP and anyone aligned with them to carry on with their election campaign. The leftist ANP is on the hit list of the Taliban for being against their extremist ideology. Several key leaders of the Party have been assassinated by the Taliban during ANP’s five year rule over the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Last December, Bashir Belor, a senior leader of the ANP was killed in a suicide attack due to his open opposition of the Taliban.

Today’s attack on Mr. Wazir is a clear warning to ANP. They have to accept the challenge of facing bomb blasts if they hold public rallies. Now how well ANP deals with this threat and how effective the security forces are in providing security to them, remains to be seen.