Former Pakistani lawmaker Mohsin Dawar injured in firing in North Waziristan

Pakistan’s former lawmaker Mohsin Dawar was injured in a “firing” incident in North Waziristan’s Miranshah, his party leader Bushra Gohar has said. Dawar, leader of the National Democratic Movement, was contesting from the district’s NA-40 constituency. He had raised concerns about potential election rigging in the area. This incident happened just after a month when he narrowly escaped a gunfire attack on his convoy in the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Former human rights minister Shireen Mazari termed the incident “totally condemnable“. In a post on X, referring to two PTI workers killed in clashes in Shangla a day ago, she said, “Yesterday, two young people [were] killed in Shangla and now this.”

According to Geo News’ unofficial provisional results for 241 of 266 seats, independent candidates, largely backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), led with 97 seats. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which has emerged as the single largest party, trails with 72 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has 52. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Jamiat-e-Ulami-Faizal (JUI-F), and Balochistan National Party (BNP) are expected to win 15, 3, and 2 seats, respectively. The counting for the elections held on Thursday is underway, and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has emerged as the single-largest party but is trailing behind the independent candidates, mostly backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). Moreover, Nawaz Sharif also announced his intention to form a united government with the help of his former allies - Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan) amid a fractured mandate. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari met in Lahore on Friday. The meeting took place immediately after Nawaz declared victory in the general elections conducted the day before and urged his partners to form a coalition government. The PPP and PML-N were both members of the PDM administration, which succeeded the PTI when Imran Khan was removed from office as prime minister in 2022. With inputs from agencies.