132 people are killed in election violence
The deadliest attacks in Pakistan’s troubled election campaign killed at least 132 people, including a candidate, on Friday just before the arrest of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif upon his return to the country.
In the southwestern province of Baluchistan, a suicide bomber killed 128 people, including a politician running for a provincial legislature. Four others died in a strike in Pakistan’s northwest, spreading panic in the country.
The attacks came hours before Sharif returned from London along with his daughter Maryam to face a 10-year prison sentence on corruption charges, anti-corruption officials said. Maryam Sharif faces seven years in jail.
He was taken into custody to serve his sentence however he is expected to appeal and seek bail. It wasn’t clear when his appeal would be filed but he has until Monday.
In the southern town of Mastung, candidate Siraj Raisani and 127 others died when a suicide bomber blew himself up amid scores of supporters who had gathered at a rally.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement carried on its Aamaq news agency.
The group gave no reason for the bombing that killed Raisani, who was running for the election on the Baluchistan Awami Party ticket.
Raisani is the brother of the former Baluchistan chief minister, Aslam Raisani. Caretaker Home Minister
Pakistani and international rights groups have accused the military of seeking to maintain its influence in Pakistani politics by keeping former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif out of power.
The military denied the accusations saying their assistance in carrying out the elections was requested by Pakistan’s Election Commission.
The army will deploy 350,000 security personnel to polling stations on election day. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Agha Umar Bungalzai told The Associated Press another 300 people were wounded in Friday’s bombing.
The U.S. State Department in a statement strongly condemned this week’s attacks on political candidates and their supporters in Pakistan.
“These attacks are cowardly attempts to deprive the Pakistani people of their democratic rights,” it said. “We will continue to stand with the people of Pakistan and the broader South Asia region in their fight against terrorism.”
Meanwhile, Sharif arrived in the eastern city of Lahore from London where he was visiting his ailing wife when a Pakistani court convicted him and his daughter of corruption.
Sharif ’s son-in-law is currently serving his one-year prison sentence on the same charge, which stems from the purchase of luxury apartments in Britain that the court said were bought with illegally acquired money.
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.
Barbed wire was strung across some roads leading to the Lahore airport on Friday and barricades were positioned at the roadside ready to close off main boulevards should crowds start to gather.