BAP leader Siraj Raisani among 15 killed in Pakistan's Mastung blast

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New Delhi: Amid tensions over ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif`s return ahead of July 25 elections, a suicide bomber exploded himself at a campaign convoy in southwestern Pakistan killing at least 15 people including Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Siraj Raisani.

More than 35 persons were injured in the attack. All the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital. 

Senior police official Qaim Lashari said that the bomber attacked the convoy of Baluchistan provincial assembly candidate Siraj Raisani, who was running for a seat in the legislature in upcoming elections. He added that the bombing took place in Mastung, a town in southwest Baluchistan province.

This was the second blast in Pakistan today where elections were scheduled to be held on July 25.

Earlier today, five people and 37 others were injured when a bomb attack targeted the convoy of a senior leader of an Islamist party in northwest Pakistan. Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) central leader Akram Durrani received minor injuries in the blast in Bannu district bordering the restive north Waziristan tribal district.

The bomb was planted in a motorcycle which exploded close to the vehicle of Durrani, who is the candidate of Muttahida Majlis-eAmal (MMA), a political alliance consisting of conservative, Islamist, religious, and far-right parties of Pakistan.

Durrani was heading back from an election rally near North Waziristan when the attack took place. He is contesting against cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan in the election.

The blast took place around 40 metres away from the venue of a public meeting, regional police officer Bannu Karim Khan said. The injured were shifted to a local hospital where five are stated to be in critical condition.