Three PPP workers injured in firing on AJK Speaker’s convoy

Three PPP workers were injured when the convoy of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar came under fire on Sunday, sparking outrage within the party and drawing condemnation from top political leaders, including PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

Chaudhry Murad Ali, a member of the speaker’s staff, informed Dawn.com that the attack occurred during a visit to Kakliyot village, located around 15 kilometres south of Muzaffarabad.

In Kakliyot, which is the speaker’s constituency, a ceremony had been planned to welcome several prominent activists of the Muslim Conference (MC) into the PPP.

Among those joining was the father of Raja Amir Zafar, a local district council member closely related to MC electoral candidate Raja Saqib Majeed. Zafar had publicly threatened to prevent anyone from entering the village on social media.

Murad said that the ceremony had been postponed multiple times over the past four months due to Zafar’s threats, which had been repeatedly reported to the district administration. “Despite a reminder three days before the visit, no preventive measures were taken by the authorities,” he alleged.

After attending a Black Day function in Muzaffarabad today, Speaker Akbar headed toward his constituency, informing the administration again about the potential for unrest.

Around 12:45pm, as the convoy of 20-25 vehicles and motorcycles reached Kakliyot, gunmen opened fire on the vehicles. Three PPP workers travelling in the leading vehicles were injured.

They were identified as Mubashir Hussain, who was shot in the head; Muhammad Riaz, who was struck in the shoulder; and Adil Imtiaz, who suffered an arm injury. Prominent lawyer Chaudhry Shaukat Aziz, also travelling with the Speaker, narrowly escaped harm.

The injured were rushed to a hospital in Muzaffarabad, where doctors operated on Mubashir Hussain and declared his condition out of danger.

Despite the arrival of the deputy commissioner, additional superintendent of police and other senior officials after almost three hours, authorities were unable to fully control the situation, as the firing reportedly continued in their presence, leaving the convoy stranded for five hours, Murad told Dawn.com.

Addressing his supporters during the standoff, Akbar reiterated his commitment to constitutional principles and the rule of law.

“I have always practiced politics based on respect, harmony, and brotherhood. My priority is to ease people’s lives, not make them more difficult. I would never endanger the life of any person, whether my supporter or opponent,” he said.

As news of the attack spread through social media, PPP workers staged protests across Muzaffarabad, burning tyres and blocking traffic at major intersections such as Chattar and Gojra.

However, upon entering the city at about 5:30pm, the Speaker managed to calm the supporters, who were chanting slogans in his favour. Akbar urged them to maintain peace, avoid escalation, and allow the resumption of vehicular movement to ease public inconvenience.

He then drove to the hospital to visit the injured workers.

The attack on Akbar’s convoy was widely condemned by political leaders. In a statement, AJK President Barrister Sultan Mahmood termed the attack “highly deplorable” and called for the immediate arrest of the culprits to ensure justice.

The PPP chairman strongly condemned the attack and demanded the arrest of the assailants in a statement issued by the party.

“Chairman PPP expressed gratitude that Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar remained unharmed in the attack and prayed for the swift recovery of the two injured individuals,” the statement read. “He also demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for the attack.”

According to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the incident and prayed for the recovery of those injured in the attack.

In a statement, he termed the attack on the Speaker of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly as a “cowardly and despicable act”.

AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, Senate Chairman Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and other leaders also issued separate statements or made phone calls to Akbar. They condemned the incident and expressed relief that the speaker was unharmed.