RAWALAKOT – Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas’ convoy came under gunfire in Tain-Dhalkot area on Friday, leaving one security guard dead and several others injured.
صدر استحکام پاکستان پارٹی آزاد کشمیر و سابق وزیراعظم سردار تنویر الیاس خان کا کالعدم عوامی ایکشن کمیٹی کے مسلح افراد کی جانب سے اپنے قافلے پر ہونے والے قاتلانہ حملے کے حوالے سے قوم کے نام تفصیلی ویڈیو پیغام
آج ہم حلقہ ایل اے 22 پونچھ 5 میں اپنے آبائی گھر جا رہے تھے۔ جب ہمارا… pic.twitter.com/EVo9mXGIGF
— Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan (@SARDARTANVEER_) July 17, 2026
Police have launched an investigation into the attack, which comes just days before the July 27 AJK Legislative Assembly elections.
Police said security guard suffered gun shots and was killed while several others were injured after unidentified assailants opened fire on the convoy of former Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas.
Authorities received reports of firing incident and have launched an investigation. He said those responsible would be brought to justice after the inquiry is completed. The attack took place in the Tain-Dhalkot area while the former premier was travelling from Islamabad to Rawalakot for a scheduled two-day visit.
The spokesperson said Muhammad Asif, a member of Ilyas’ security detail, was killed in the attack, while several other people travelling in the convoy sustained injuries.
The shooting comes at a politically sensitive time, with campaigning intensifying ahead of elections for the 53-member AJK Legislative Assembly on July 27. The incident is likely to raise fresh concerns about the security environment during the election period.
Earlier this month, Ilyas announced his decision to join the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) after meeting party president Abdul Aleem Khan and Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Awn Chaudhry. His move came after resigning from the primary membership of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP-AJK) following unsuccessful negotiations over the allocation of election tickets. Political observers have described his departure as a setback for the PPP ahead of the upcoming polls.
The attack also comes against the backdrop of growing unrest in AJK, where authorities have reported an increase in tensions linked to protests and sit-ins associated with the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
Last month, JAAC got banned under Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), as the group was involved in terrorist activities, and the region since witnessed massive unrest.
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