The murder of an activist in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Malakand area has led to the removal of the deputy commissioner and an assistant commissioner of the division, with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan taking notice of the incident.

Activist Muhammad Zada Agra, who was also a member of the student wing of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was shot dead outside his residence in the College Colony area of Sakhakot in Malakand on Monday.

Member National Assembly (MNA) Mohsin Dawar, taking to Twitter, wrote that Zada was known for raising his voice against corruption, drug mafia and oppression, and struggled for justice for his people.

"Peaceful activists who demand rights continue being killed in cold blood," it added.

Social media users also mourned the murder while demanding justice for the slain activist, which saw #Malakand become one of the top trends on Pakistani Twitter.

Freedom Network, a media watchdog, tweeted that Zada was killed days after he spoke about "alleged corruption and drugs business in front of senior government official".

Another user tweeted: "Agra was a strong voice against drug mafia, nepotism, corruption and bureaucratic oppression in Malakand. He has been silenced by the mafia."

Zada was committed to unmasking those involved in the drug business, and would regularly write on the issue through his social media platforms.

In one of his tweets posted back in March, he wrote: "A drug addict is involved in robbery as he can't earn to bear his expenses. This led to various crimes across the world, making it an issue of not one person but the society."

Talking about the far reaching impacts of drugs, Zada in another tweet urged authorities to take action against the mafia.