At least 28 people including an independent MPA were killed and dozens of others wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the funeral procession of a local petrol pump owner in the Shergarh area of Mardan.
Imran Mohmand was elected as an independent candidate to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from PK-27 constituency in the May 11 polls.
Police said that the suicide attack occurred when a large number of people were offering the funeral prayer of Haji Abdullah, a famous social figure in the locality who was gunned down by unidentified armed men last night.
Police rushed to the spot immediately and cordoned-off the area. The rescue personnel shifted the dead and injured to the Mardan Medical Complex. Some injured are said to be in critical condition and the death toll is feared to climb.
Imran Mohmand was the second member of newly-elected KPK assembly to be killed following the formation of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)-led coalition government in the province. On June 3, PTI MPA Farid Khan was shot dead by unknown gunmen.
PTI is a strong advocate of dialog with Taliban and has always stressed the need of change in foreign policy to tackle the threat of terrorism.