PESHAWAR: Police in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province confirmed on Wednesday former National Assembly lawmaker Mohsin Dawar was targeted by a group of unidentified gunmen in North Waziristan tribal district while carrying out election activities but remained unharmed in the attack.
Political parties and candidates have kicked off their election campaigns amid mounting security concerns ahead of the February 8 national polls in the country.
The situation is particularly difficult for politicians contesting the electoral contest from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where a workers’ convention of the Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam (JUI-F) party was attacked last year.
The JUI-F also called for election delay after the convoy of its top leader, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, came under fire while traveling on Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan motorway on Sunday.
“Mohsin Dawar’s vehicle was targeted while his convoy reached between two mountains, but the police party escorting him exchanged fire with the gunmen and the convoy remained safe,” District Police Officer of North Waziristan Rokhanzeb Khan said while speaking to Arab News.
“One person is said to have received slight injuries, and some bullets hit the front and side mirrors of his bullet proof vehicle,” he continued.
Soon after receiving information of the incident, a police contingent was rushed to the crime scene to secure the area.
A large number of people also came out after the announcement of the attack from local mosques to express support for the former lawmaker, the police officer added.
Former Pakistani lawmaker Mohsin Dawar escapes unharmed in attack during election campaign in North Waziristan
https://arab.news/4k3a9
Former Pakistani lawmaker Mohsin Dawar escapes unharmed in attack during election campaign in North Waziristan
- The incident happened amid mounting security concerns ahead of the February 8 national polls in the country
- Dawar was in a bullet-proof vehicle and escorted by a police contingent while carrying out his election campaign
Pakistan opposition rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand release of Imran Khan
- PTI-led gathering calls the former PM a national hero and demands the release of all political prisoners
- Government says the opposition failed to draw a large crowd and accuses PTI of damaging its own politics
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanded the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan at a rally in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, describing him as a national hero who continues to command public support.
The gathering came days after a rare and strongly worded briefing by the military’s media chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who dismissed Khan as “narcissistic” and “mentally ill” on Friday while responding to the former premier’s allegations that Pakistan’s chief of defense forces was responsible for undermining the constitution and rule of law.
He said that Khan was promoting an anti-state narrative which had become a national security threat.
The participants of the rally called for “civilian supremacy” and said elected representatives should be treated with respect.
“We, the people of Pakistan, regard Imran Khan as a national hero and the country’s genuinely elected prime minister, chosen by the public in the February 8, 2024 vote,” said a resolution presented at the rally in Peshawar. “We categorically reject and strongly condemn the notion that he or his colleagues pose any kind of threat to national security.”
“We demand immediate justice for Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all political prisoners, and call for their prompt release,” it added, referring to Khan’s wife who is also in prison. “No restrictions should be placed on Imran Khan’s meetings with his family, lawyers or political associates.”
Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, denied his administration was not serious about security issues amid increased militant activity. However, he maintained the people of his province had endured the worst of Pakistan’s conflict with militancy and urged a rethinking of long-running security policies.
The resolution asked the federal government to restore bilateral trade and diplomatic channels with Afghanistan, saying improved cross-border ties were essential for the economic stability of the region.
The trade between the two neighbors has suffered as Pakistan accuses the Taliban administration in Kabul of sheltering and facilitating armed groups that it says launch cross-border attacks to target its civilians and security forces. Afghan officials deny the claim.
The two countries have also had deadly border clashes in recent months that have killed dozens of people on both sides.
Some participants of the rally emphasized the restoration of democratic freedoms, judicial independence and space for political reconciliation, calling them necessary to stabilize the country after years of political confrontation.
Reacting to the opposition rally, Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar said the PTI and its allies could not gather enough people.
“In trying to build an anti-army narrative, they have ruined their own politics,” he said, adding that the rally’s reaction to the military’s media chief’s statement reflected “how deeply it had stung.”
“There was neither any argument nor any real response,” he added, referring to what was said by the participants of the rally.
