SWAT(National Times)- Guards foiled an armed attack on the residence of Awami National Party senior leader and former provincial minister Ayub Khan Ashari in Asharay area here early on Tuesday, officials said.

All family members remained safe in the attack.

According to Asharay police station in Matta tehsil, armed men targeted Ashari’s house at around 2am.

Guards deployed at the residence responded immediately, leading to an intense exchange of fire.

“Taking advantage of heavy rain and poor visibility, the attackers fled. As soon as we were informed about the attack, heavy police contingents arrived at the location and launched an investigation,” Nasrullah Khan, head of the police station, told Dawn.

Party leadership voices concern about poor law and order situation in province

After the attack, Mr Ashari said such incidents were intended to silence voices against violence.

He, however, said such acts won’t force him or his party to abandon their principled stand for peace and the people’s rights.

The ANP condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Ashari and his family.

ANP provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain termed the incident “deeply concerning”, saying it reflected a deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Targeting a political worker’s house is unacceptable. Repeated incidents suggest an organised attempt to intimidate party leadership and workers,” he said.

Mr Hussain said that a similar attempt was recently made against the party’s district senior vice-president, Mumtaz Ali Khan as part of a coordinated campaign to create fear among ANP members.

He criticised the provincial government, saying extremist elements appear to be operating freely with authorities struggling to ensure public safety.

ANP central president Aimal Wali Khan also condemned the attack.

“This is not merely an assault on an individual but on a political ideology that has consistently opposed militancy in Malakand division, particularly in Swat,” he said in a statement.

Mr Aimal said Ashari and his family had made significant sacrifices for peace.

He said continued incidents against party leaders raised serious questions about internal security management.

The ANP leadership called for an immediate and transparent investigation for punishment of culprits as well as effective measures to protect lives and property of citizens, especially political workers.

It reaffirmed its commitment to continuing advocating for peace and resisting terrorism through democratic means.

In a separate statement, ANP central president Aimal Wali Khan said that Ayub Khan Ashari and his family had rendered immense sacrifices for peace, which were known and could not be overlooked.

He expressed grave concern over a recent attempt to target ANP Swat’s senior vice-president, Mumtaz Ali Khan, noting that such back-to-back incidents indicated a systematic effort to intimidate the party’s leadership and workers.

He, however, said that such tactics would not dampen their resolve.

“The law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is deteriorating with each passing day, as incidents of terrorism are becoming routine. The recurrence of such attacks raises serious questions about the performance of both federal and provincial governments as well as security institutions,” he said.

Mr Aimal regretted that after every incident, blame for terrorism was routinely shifted to Afghanistan, while no attention was paid to the unchecked movement of militant elements within the province.

“The people have the right to know whether this is caused by the authorities’ incompetence or the distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ militants is once again being revived,” he said.

The ANP leader said that those claiming to promote peace and mediation in the region must first put out fire in their own house.

He warned that unless the state took internal security seriously and adopted a clear and decisive policy, lasting peace would remain a distant dream.

Mr Aimal said that ANP had always stood firm against terrorism and would continue to raise its voice against violence at every forum.

He added that the party had never yielded to fear and would not do so in the future.