Taliban gunmen kill Pakistani election candidate

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Karachi: Taliban assailants on a motorcycle gunned down a candidate running in Pakistan's upcoming elections on Thursday, an official and a Taliban spokesman said, underscoring threats to the country's former ruling party and other secular and political groups.

Fakhurl Islam, whose party has spoken out strongly against the militant group, was killed near his home in Hyderabad city in southern Sindh province.

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Hours later, Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan claimed responsibility and vowed to continue such attacks in future. The Taliban have threatened to attack members of the MQM because of its statements.

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Thursday's attack indicated the Taliban threat was not confined to northwest or Karachi as the latest attack took place some 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Karachi, the country's financial capital where MQM enjoys major support.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/taliban-gunmen-kill-pakistani-election-candidate-353044

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Pakistani Taliban threatens attacks on 'secular parties'

PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Taliban have threatened to stage further attacks targeting political gatherings of the country’s secular Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), their spokesman said on Monday, the same day a blast near an ANP gathering in Charsadda injured seven people.

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Speaking to a Dawn.com correspondent from an undisclosed location, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed responsibility of the blast, threatening further attacks against “the country’s secular parties”.

The attack on the ANP gathering “is just a beginning. The attacks will intensify on both the secular ANP and MQM’s political gatherings,” threatened the TTP spokesman, cautioning the general public to stay away from the rallies.

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About TTP stance on other political parties, he said, though they are all one, as far as their secular ideology is concerned, Taliban would announce their strategy regarding other parties later.