Awami National Party’s local leader Umer Khattab Sherani was killed late Friday when unidentified men opened fire at him outside his house in Dera Ismail Khan, Aaj News reported. Protests erupted following news of his murder promoting the district administration to postpone the poll.

Sherani was the ANP’s candidate for the city mayor seat in the Local Government Elections, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday (tomorrow).

Pashtun leaders on Saturday took to the streets in DI Khan to protest against the murder and demanded justice for Sherani.

According to police, the body has been taken into custody. Moreover, the area has been cordoned off and further investigation was under way.

Furthermore, the district administration announced its decision to postpone the election. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa CM Mahmood Khan also took notice of the incident and the people involved in the murder would be brought to justice. The CM further announced that Sherani's family would be provided justice.

The murder of the ANP leader just a day before LG polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa just highlighted the sensitivity of polling stations in the province. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the LG polls are scheduled to be held on December 19 (tomorrow) in 17 districts of the province and on January 16 in the remaining districts.

The country’s top electoral body on Wednesday declared that 2,507 polling stations – out of the 9,202 – were the most sensitive, Dawn.com reported. It added that 4,168 are said to be sensitive.

Political leaders and rights activists condemned the murder of Sherani and expressed concerns over the safety of people in the country.

In a tweet, National Democratic Movement Afrasiab Khattak alleged that the murder of Sherani was part of the murderous campaign against Pashtun nationalists. He lamented that the state has failed to “protect” the lives of citizens.

Several users on Twitter claimed that the ANP workers have staged a sit-in with the body outside the Press Club in DI Khan, demanding the authorities concerned to ensure justice.

Moreover, former lawmaker Bushra Gohar also condemned the incident and offered condolences to the bereaved family.

ANP spokesperson Samar Haroon Bilour also raised her voice for justice for the party leader.