70 die in Pakistan election violence

LAHORE, Pakistan— The deadliest attack in Pakistan’s troubled election campaign killed 70 people, including a candidate, in southwestern Baluchistan province Friday ahead of the arrest of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif upon his return to Pakistan.

Sharif returned late Friday 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 a horrific assault in the southwestern Baluchistan town of Mastung, Siraj Raisani, a candidate in the provincial Parliament, 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 Agha Umar Bungalzai told The Associated Press another 120 people were wounded in Friday’s bombing.

It was the second election-related violence to occur on Friday.

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 oneyear 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.