Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former MPA from south Punjab Shaukat Basra was injured while his personal assistant was killed in an exchange of fire in Punjab's Bahawalnagar district on Monday.

The exchange of fire took place between supporters of the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z) in Bahawalnagar's Haroonabad area which led to three people being injured, including Basra.

Basra's personal assistant Imtiaz was killed in the firing.

The injured were all shifted to a local hospital in Bahawalnagar.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned the "attack" on Basra as "open terrorism".

"PPP leaders cannot be frightened by such cowardly attacks," he said in a statement posted by PPP Media Cell.

Bilawal demanded that the "terrorists" be immediately arrested and punished.

Basra served as an MPA from Bahawalnagar in the Punjab Assembly from 2008-2013. He is currently serving as the information secretary of PPP's south Punjab chapter.

Opinion

Editorial

Fixing bond markets
01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

THE plan to deepen the domestic local currency bond market by allowing the public to trade government securities...
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...
Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...