BAJAUR: Unidentified assailants shot dead a tribal elder in Salarzai tehsil of Bajaur tribal district on Monday morning, police and family members said.

They said the incident occurred in Kohi area, some 25 kilometres from Khar, the district headquarters.

`Unknown attackers opened fire at Malik Fatchi Khan, 62, when he stepped out of his home for a nearby mosque to offer morning prayers, leaving him seriously injured,` Sheer Mohammad, a younger brother of the deceased, told Dawn.

He said after hearing the gunshots, family members and villagers rushed out of their houses. He said the elder succumbed to injuries while being shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Khar.

`It was not clear as to what was the motive and who was behind the attack,` Salarzai police station SHO Saidur Rahman said.

The local residents and family members told this correspondent that the deceased had no enmity with anyone in the area. However, they said he was working for promotion of peace in the region.

The police launched investigation after registering a case against unknown assailants.-Correspondent