A PTI-backed independent candidate was shot dead in Siddiqabad area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district in Wednesday, according to police.

Khar Police Station House Officer (SHO) Rasheed Khan said Rehan Zeb Khan was canvassing in the area when unidentified armed men open fired on his vehicle.

The cop said Rehan was taken to the District Headquarters Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. According to the SHO, four other people were also injured in the attack.

District Police Officer Bajaur, Kashif Zulfiqar told Dawn.com that the incident appeared to be a “targeted killing”. He said that law enforcement authorities were conducting a search operation in the area.

The PTI expressed sorrow over the killing and said blatant attacks on its representatives in the run-up to the elections raised a “big question mark” on the fairness of polls.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the party demanded an immediate probe into the attack, adding that those responsible should be punished. The party also called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take notice of the incident.

It alleged that the caretaker government was focused on bringing one particular political party to power instead of discharging its constitutional responsibilities.

PTI’s Hammad Azhar said that Rehan symbolised the country’s youth. Hammad said Rehan had wanted a better future for the people and was struggling in this regard.

Separately, the ECP also took notice of the killing. Although it did not name Rehan, it said that it had taken notice of the killing of a candidate from NA-8 Bajaur.

The electoral watchdog sought a report from the KP chief secretary and police chief and directed that those responsible be punished.