Pakistan: Absence in city leads to attack on minister

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan

An angry crowd attacked a state minister in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday for his long absence from the constituency, local media reported.

Qalandar Khan Lodhi, the food minister of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province was attacked in garrison city of Abbotabad when he visited his constituency after a gap of over three years, according to the protesters.

Armature footage broadcast on local Express TV showed an infuriated mob throwing stones on the minister’s vehicle when he was on his way to inaugurate a newly-built college in the outskirts of Abbotabad.

Lodhi, who belongs to Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party of the country’s cricket hero Imran Khan, which rules the KPK province, received minor injuries, Express TV reported.

Mohammad Atif, a local journalist told Anadolu Agency by telephone that the attackers were actually unhappy with the minister for choosing their rival village for construction of the college.

Attempts to reach the minister remained unsuccessful.