Terrorist 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, Associated Press reported.
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, according to AP.
The elections are scheduled for 25 July.
Deadly attacks
Yesterday’s attacks were the deadliest since Taliban militants assaulted a school in the northwestern city of Peshawar in 2014, killing over 150 people, mostly children, Agence France Press reported.
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 Agha Umar Bungalzai told AP that another 300 people were wounded in Friday’s bombing.
Sharif returns to Pakistan – and jail cell
The attacks came hours before Sharif returned from London, where he was visiting his ailing wife, with his daughter Maryam. He faces a 10-year prison sentence on corruption charges, related to luxury real estate purchases in London; she faces seven years in jail. In a video message Friday, apparently sent mid-flight, Sharif said he was returning knowing he would be taken directly to prison.
Ahead of his return, police had swept through the city of Lahore, arresting scores of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League party workers to prevent them from greeting him at the airport. Though Sharif was taken into custody to serve his sentence, he is expected to appeal and seek bail. It wasn’t clear when his appeal would be filed but he has until Monday.
Sharif has been banned from politics. His brother Shahbaz Sharif now heads his Pakistan Muslim League, and is campaigning for re-election on July 25.
Army under fire
Sharif has criticized the powerful military’s involvement in civilian affairs and its efforts in fighting extremists. Pakistani and international rights groups have accused the military of seeking to maintain its influence in Pakistani politics by keeping Sharif out of power.
Pundits called for the armed forces to focus on security challenges rather than politics, in the wake of myriad allegations that the military was meddling in the upcoming polls. “It has never been more true that Pakistan’s security establishment needs to focus on security, not politics,” tweeted analyst Mosharraf Zaidi, according to AFP.
The military denied the accusations, saying their assistance in carrying out the elections was requested by Pakistan’s Election Commission, AP reported. The army will deploy 350,000 security personnel to polling stations throughout the country on election day.
Ahson Aftab Meanwhile you only insult Indians while not answering the question. ‘Did Mo’ ride to heaven on a winged hippo’ ‘
Pakistan has long become Chinese concubine.
Get back on medication dude, and make sure you inform the medics about your hallucinations and paranoia about USA.
Ivor Large you must be getting paid by the line. Didn’t know RAW hires even dalit’s for spamming these days.
No comments from our hairstylist friend ?
Soon you’ll be a refugeee from the USA, after being a refugee from Pakistain
Sold to the highest (only) bidder…. China
Pakistan’s political and financial position is looking more precarious than in recent elections (2008, 2013). The ‘security establishment’ is turning more extremist, the country is more internationally isolated, a hung parliament would be disastrous for economic management. The big question is … (1) do the Chinese want to sink in even more money …or (2) do they see it as ripe for a take over. Either way we are going to get to a stage where EITHER sovereignty concerns and anti Chinese sentiment come to the fore even with a malleable set of controllable Jihadis in political office OR we are going to see a slow economic implosion starting with a default on the 2019 USD bonds. Watch this space, Pakistan could make Syria or Venezuela look like a picnic in the park.
While East Asians speed ahead and beat the West in its own game, South Asian busy themselves with enjoyment in raping innocent women, sectarian or religious violence, terrorism, or waste their time in cricket and Bollywood dreamworld.
Unless they change and learn from East Asia, South Asians deserve to be poor.
Ironically Trump Nation is following in the same footsteps.
good
Yes, let China run the joint. They’ve done so well in E Turkmenistan and Tibet.
Going, going, gone….. failed state
Pakistan is suffering due to corruption and terrorism. Some of the terrorism is due to the Pakistani support of the US “war against terror” that has destabilized the region and created a significant increase in terrorism.
The time is overdue for Pakistan to close the US supply lines through Pakistan to Afghanistan. This will most likely end the Afghan war, reduce terrorism and bring stability to the region. According to Chinese and Russian Intelligence sources, the US is now training terrorist in Northern Afghanistan for actions against former Soviets, Russia, Iran, China and the countries along the “New silk road”.
Furthermore, Pakistan must prohibit foreign companies to run telecom infrastructure due to national security reason. The Norwegian Telecom company “Telenor”, an alleged CIA front organization, is making a fortune on exploiting the telecom markets in Pakistan and Bangladesh. India and Russia have already kicked Telenor out.