A father in Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed his son after the pair disagreed on which political party flag to fly ahead of general elections scheduled for February 8, police said.
The row broke out when the son, who had recently returned from work in Qatar, raised the flag of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party at the family home on the outskirts of Peshawar.
“The father prohibited his son from hoisting the PTI flag at home, but the son refused to take it down and leave the PTI,” said district police official Naseer Farid.
“The argument escalated and in a fit of rage the father fired a gun at his 31-year-old son before running from the house.”
The son died on the way to the hospital.
Police are looking for the father, who was linked to the nationalist Awami National Party and had previously flown their flag.
The election, scheduled for February 8, has often been marred by violence in Pakistan, with candidates targeted by bombings and shootings.
In the first week of February, about 5,000 Frontier Constabulary (FC) paramilitary troops will be deployed in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near the border with Afghanistan, Commander Moazzam Jah Ansari told AFP.
A day earlier, the Interim Federal Cabinet approved a summary of requests for the deployment of Pakistan Army and Civilian Armed Forces units to assist civilian institutions in conducting free, fair and peaceful general elections.
This development came at a federal cabinet meeting presided over by caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar.
“Soldiers will perform duties in sensitive constituencies and polling stations and will also act as rapid response forces,” said a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
On the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Federal Cabinet has unanimously approved the deployment of Pakistan Army and Civilian Armed Forces personnel in sensitive polling stations across the country during the upcoming general elections.
