Last Updated on October 11, 2026 by YeJahan
YEJAHAN REPORT
ISLAMABAD (Oct 11): The Director General of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been shot dead by motorbike gunmen in the country’s northwest, in what police are treating as a targeted terrorist assassination.
Shamshad Akhtar Mehsud was ambushed on Saturday, 10 October 2026, near Girah Baluch village in the Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Mehsud, who was also known as Shamshad Khan, had travelled to his home village to mourn his elder brother, who died on Friday. The gunmen opened fire on his vehicle as he returned from a condolence gathering, inflicting fatal injuries. Emergency services rushed him to the District Headquarters Hospital, where he later died from his wounds.
District Police Officer Samad Khan confirmed that initial assessments point to a terrorist attack. Security forces have launched a search operation in the surrounding area to track down the assailants, who fled the scene on a motorcycle.
The Election Commission condemned the shooting as a “targeted killing,” describing Shamshad Akhtar as an upright, dedicated, and deeply respected civil servant who had no personal grievances or enmities with anyone. Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, along with commission members and staff, expressed profound grief and offered condolences to the family.
Akhtar had a distinguished three-decade career in public service, having joined the ECP in 1997 as an assistant commissioner before rising to head the elections directorate at the central secretariat in Islamabad. An expert in his field, he completed advanced civil service leadership training and studied electoral administration in Tokyo with the Japan International Cooperation Agency. He was also a certified “BRIDGE” facilitator, an international accreditation reserved for global experts in managing democratic elections.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The ECP has urged the government to take immediate action to protect public servants amid rising security threats in the region.
Copyright YeJahan News Network, 2026