NA-168 by-poll: Cross FIR against other group in firing incident in Bahawalpur

On Saturday night, the Saddar police in Bahawalpur filed a cross FIR against over seventy individuals from the Cheema group in connection with a by-poll firing incident. Complainant Malik Nawab Channar of Baqirpur alleged that supporters of the Cheema group attacked and forced him and others to attend an election rally being addressed by Wali Dad Cheema and others on Friday.

The Bahawalpur Saddar police registered the FIR following the complainant's report and linked it to an earlier FIR filed against twenty individuals associated with Malik Munir Iqbal Channar, the PML-N candidate in NA-168. Muhammad Ayyub Gujjar, spokesperson for the Bahawalpur DPO, confirmed the registration of the cross FIR, emphasizing that it was simply a report by the Saddar police. As of yet, no arrests have been made from either the Cheema or PML-N groups involved.

In related news, a joint team comprising the Lodhran Police and Crime Control Department (CCD) announced the killing of one criminal involved in 28 cases during a confrontation near Pull Sheikhoo. The police claimed that the CCD team signaled the motorcycle riders to stop for identification purposes, but the riders responded by opening fire on the police and CCD patrol. During the ensuing exchange of gunfire, the suspect Ramzan alias Guddoo was killed, while his two accomplices managed to escape in the darkness.