NOWSHERA: A local leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was killed and another man injured in an exchange of fire with security personnel here on Sunday.

In a separate incident, two employees of the Cherat Cement Company were shot dead and four others injured when security personnel opened fire on their van.

Officials claimed a search operation against suspects was under way in a part of the city when PTI leader Gohar Ali Khan opened fire on security personnel. They said the PTI leader was killed when the personnel returned fire. Another man,Haji Banaras Khan, was injured in the incident.

DSP Adnan Khan confirmed that the PTI leader had been killed in an exchange of fire with security personnel.

Police said 27 suspects were arrested in different villages, including Bahder Baba, Salekhana, Kahndar, Shaidu, Akora Khattak and Nowshera Kalan, during the search operation in the district.

Meanwhile, the two employees of the Cherat Cement Company were killed after security personnel opened fire on them when they were going in a company van to join morning shift at the factory. The incident took place during a search operation.Sources said the security personnel had signalled the driver of the van to stop his vehicle. But, they added, when the driver increased the speed of the van instead of stopping it the personnel opened fire on it, leaving Malik Shah and Saidullah Jan dead and Fahim Khan, Fazal Mohammad, Muhbatullah and Zari Dad injured.

All the victims belonged to the Khesaray village.

The bodies and the injured were taken to district headquarters hospital in Nowshera.

An injured employee confirmed that security personnel had opened fire af ter the driver of the van had not stopped the vehicle on their signal.