By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
PESHAWAR: A key tribal leader and peace activist and Awami National Party senior leader, Maulana Khan Zaib, was gunned down in Bajaur on Thursday afternoon.
Prominent Awami National Party (ANP) leader Maulana Khan Zaib was shot dead along with another companion. In contrast, three others sustained injuries in a targeted attack by unidentified gunmen when he was returning from the campaign to motivate people to participate in the peace Jirga and the March scheduled on July 13.
The incident occurred at Shandai Morh, where Maulana Khan Zaib was actively campaigning for the upcoming peace march.
According to eyewitnesses, the assailants ambushed Khan Zaib’s vehicle and opened indiscriminate fire, leaving no time for those inside to react. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries. The wounded individuals were also taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar for treatment, where their condition remains serious.
Maulana Khan Zaib was known as a strong advocate for peace and a vocal representative of the tribal people. He believed that the natural resources of the tribal belt were the rightful inheritance of the locals and consistently raised his voice for justice, peace and the rights of the Pashtun community. His campaign for the July 13 Peace March aimed to unite the community against rising violence and lawlessness in the region.
His martyrdom has sparked widespread grief and outrage across the tribal districts and broader Pashtun areas. Social media has been flooded with tributes, calling him “a voice for peace,” “a mountain of resilience,” and “the face of tribal dignity.” ANP leadership, including provincial president Aimal Wali Khan, strongly condemned the attack, calling it a deliberate and targeted killing aimed at silencing voices for peace.
“Maulana Khan Zaib’s assassination is part of a well-orchestrated plan by anti-peace elements,” Aimal Wali said in a statement.
The killing is yet another grim reminder of the growing trend of targeted assassinations in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Ex-FATA), including Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, North and South Waziristan and Khyber districts. Human rights groups and local journalists report a sharp rise in such incidents throughout 2025, with dozens of tribal elders, political activists and peace committee members killed in similar attacks.
Security forces have largely failed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Local communities, tribal elders and political leaders have repeatedly urged the government to take immediate and meaningful steps to restore peace and security in the region.
They demand better law enforcement, transparency in operations and exposure of the forces behind the systematic elimination of progressive tribal leadership. Maulana Khan Zaib’s killing is a tragic example of the dangers faced by those advocating for peace in a region marred by conflict.
Since the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the people of the tribal areas had hoped for improved governance, development and peace; however, the rising tide of target killings, extortion and abductions has pushed them back into fear and uncertainty. The martyrdom of Maulana Khan Zaib has only deepened the despair that peace in these lands remains a distant dream.
