LAHORE, Pakistan (AP)
The Latest on Pakistan's upcoming national elections and the return of Nawaz Sharif (all times local):
5 p.m.
A Pakistani official says a bomb has exploded near the election rally of a politician running for a seat in a provincial legislature in the southwest, wounding him and 30 others.
Qaim Lashari, deputy district commissioner, says Friday's attack targeted Siraj Raisani, a candidate from the Baluchistan Awami Party running for a seat in the legislature in July 25 elections.
Lashari says the bombing took place in Mastung, a town in southwest Baluchistan province.
It was the second election-related bombing Friday in this Islamic nation.
Earlier, four people were killed and 20 others wounded in a bombing near the rally of Akram Khan Durrani, who is running for a seat in parliament from the northwestern city of Bannu.
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1:30 p.m.
Former Pakistani lawmaker Imran Khan, who hopes to become the next prime minister, has condemned a bombing near the election rally of a rival candidate, where four of the candidate's supporters were killed.
Khan in a tweet says there seems to be a conspiracy to sabotage the July 25 vote. But he says the people of Pakistan will not allow anything to prevent "historic" elections from taking place.
Four people were killed and 20 others wounded in the bombing near the rally of Akram Khan Durrani, who is running for a seat in parliament from the northwestern city of Bannu. Durrani was about to leave the rally at the time.
Khan is facing tough competition from Durrani, who is the candidate of an alliance of religious groups.
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12:10 a.m.
Pakistani police say a bomb near the election rally of an Islamist candidate running for a seat in parliament has killed at least three people and wounded 20 others.
Local police chief Rashid Khan says candidate Akram Khan Durrani, running for a seat from the northwestern city of Bannu, was not harmed in Friday's bombing.
He said the bomb went off after Durrani finished his speech and was preparing to leave.
Durrani is running in the July 25 vote against popular former lawmaker Imran Khan.
He is a member of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an election alliance of radical religious groups.
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11:20 a.m.
Pakistani police say a bomb has exploded near the election rally of a senior politician from an Islamist party running for parliament from the northwestern town of Bannu.
Police say the explosion wounded 20 people and the candidate escaped unharmed.
Local police chief Rashid Khan says candidate Akram Khan Durrani had just finished his speech when the bomb exploded near his rally on Friday.
Durrani is running in the July 25 vote against popular former lawmaker Imran Khan.
He is a candidate of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an election alliance of radical religious groups.
No one claimed responsibility, but the bombing came days after a suicide bomber dispatched by the Pakistani Taliban killed secular politician Haroon Ahmed Bilour and 20 others at his rally in the northwestern city of Peshwar.
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8:30 a.m.
Officials say disgraced ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will be whisked away by helicopter to the federal capital of Islamabad when he returns to Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore from London to face a 10-year jail sentence on corruption charges.
Sharif is to return at 6 p.m. Friday from London where he has been visiting his ailing wife. He is to be accompanied by his daughter Mariam, who was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Sharif's son-in-law is currently serving his one-year prison sentence.
Sharif is expected to appeal his conviction and seek bail.
Ahead of his return, police swept through Lahore, arresting scores of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League party workers to prevent them from greeting him at the airport.
