PESHAWAR: Three people were killed and 12 injured after police in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Saturday shot at former lawmaker Mohsin Dawar and his supporters who were protesting alleged election irregularities in their constituency during the Feb. 8 polls, confirmed a senior administration official.
Shafiullah Wazir said Dawar, the founding leader of the National Democratic Movement who contested the elections from NA-40, attempted to force his way into the office of the returning officer in North Waziristan with his supporters before the incident.
He informed that a list maintained by the Miran Shah Hospital in the area named 15 people who were brought in an injured state.
“Three of them, Abdul Wahab, Sher Ayub and Wasif Ullah, were later pronounced dead,” Wazir said.
He added that police fired gunshots into the air to deter the protesters from entering the RO office, adding that Dawar was also injured but was in stable condition.
Pakistan’s national elections on Feb. 8 were marred by violence, with 16 people killed and another 54 injured across the country.
In KP, at least three people were killed and 12 others injured during a protest by supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party against National Assembly election results in the Shangla district.
Ismail Mehsud, a senior NDM leader, said Dawar and his supporters were only attempting to meet the election official, but the police stopped them.
“NDM supporters, including Dawar, suffered injuries [in the police shooting],” he said. “Dawar was rushed to a local hospital for treatment, where he was in stable condition.”
Mehsud said his party’s supporters were protesting “controversial results” in NA-40 North Waziristan constituency.
“Until last evening, Dawar was leading by a margin of 3,000 votes, but this morning, our rival candidate Misbah Uddin from JUI [Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam] was declared the winner,” he said. “The results were changed overnight, which was our main concern.”
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) data, Dawar secured 32,768 votes while his rival candidate bagged 42,994 in Thursday’s national elections.
Three killed, ex-MNA among 12 injured in police shooting at Pakistan rigging protests
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Three killed, ex-MNA among 12 injured in police shooting at Pakistan rigging protests
- The incident took place when Mohsin Dawar and his supporters were protesting election results for NA-40 in North Waziristan
- A senior official says police resorted to ‘aerial firing’ when the protesters tried to force their way into the office of returning officer
World Bank president in Pakistan to discuss development projects, policy issues
- Pakistan, World Bank are currently gearing up to implement a 10-year partnership framework to grant $20 billion loans to the cash-strapped nation
- World Bank President Ajay Banga will hold meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials during the high-level visit
ISLAMABAD: World Bank President Ajay Banga has arrived in Pakistan to hold talks with senior government officials on development projects and key policy issues, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday, as Islamabad seeks multilateral support to stabilize economy and accelerate growth.
The visit comes at a time when Pakistan and the World Bank are gearing up to implement a 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) to grant $20 billion in loans to the cash-strapped nation.
The World Bank’s lending for Pakistan, due to start this year, will focus on education quality, child stunting, climate resilience, energy efficiency, inclusive development and private investment.
"World Bank President Ajay Banga arrives in Pakistan for a high-level visit," the state-run Pakistan TV Digital reported on Sunday. "During his stay, he will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials to discuss economic reforms, development projects, and key policy issues."
Pakistan, which nearly defaulted on its foreign debt obligations in 2023, is currently making efforts to stabilize its economy under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
Besides efforts to boost trade and foreign investment, Islamabad has been seeking support from multilateral financial institutions to ensure economic recovery.
“This partnership fosters a unified and focused vision for your county around six outcomes with clear, tangible and ambitious 10-year targets,” Martin Raiser, the World Bank vice president for South Asia, had said at the launch of the CPF in Jan. last year.
“We hope that the CPF will serve as an anchor for this engagement to keep us on the right track. Partnerships will equally be critical. More resources will be needed to have the impact at the scale that we wish to achieve and this will require close collaboration with all the development partners.”
In Dec., the World Bank said it had approved $700 million in financing for Pakistan under a multi-year initiative aimed at supporting the country's macroeconomic stability and service delivery.
It followed a $47.9 million World Bank grant in August last year to improve primary education in Pakistan's most populous Punjab province.
