Former AJK PM Tanveer Ilyas says convoy attacked en route to Rawalakot; guard killed

WEB DESK: Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas said armed men opened fire on his convoy near Tain Dhal Kot while he was travelling to Rawalakot, killing his security guard and injuring several others.

A statement posted on Ilyas’s official Facebook page described the incident as an assassination attempt and alleged that the attackers targeted the former prime minister’s vehicle. His personal guard, former SSG commando Muhammad Asif, was killed, while several people travelling in the convoy were wounded, it said.

The statement also claimed that several vehicles in the convoy were damaged during the firing. A video shared on the page purportedly showed an injured person being placed on a stretcher and taken to an ambulance.

Ilyas, who heads the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s AJK chapter, was travelling with party leaders and workers for a two-day visit to Rawalakot when the incident occurred.

AJK police had not issued an official statement on the attack at the time of filing. However, DIG AJK Raja Akmal was quoted by Geo News as saying that authorities had received information about firing on Ilyas’s convoy.

In a video statement, Ilyas adopted a defiant tone and warned that those attempting to create lawlessness in the region would not be spared.

“Those trying to hijack the state, spread chaos and impose RAW’s agenda within the state cannot be given any concession,” he said, adding that aggression would be met with a forceful response.

IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan condemned the incident as “regrettable and reprehensible”, saying violence, intimidation and disorder had no place in politics.

“Such incidents are a cowardly attempt to disrupt the political process,” he said, expressing sorrow over the death of the security guard and the reported injury of former adviser Sardar Imtiaz Shaheen.

Ilyas is contesting the upcoming election from LA-22 Poonch-5, Pachiot, on an IPP ticket. The constituency was previously associated with his uncle, Saghir Chughtai, who died in an accident.

Political activity in the region has remained subdued amid protests against the 12 seats reserved for Jammu and Kashmir refugees. Demonstrators have staged sit-ins at several locations in Rawalakot, while clashes in different parts of AJK have reportedly left more than 20 people dead, including law enforcement personnel.