Sharif in detention while 132 die in Pakistan



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LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) – Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was imprisoned on Saturday, a day after the bombings Pakistan's most deadly campaign campaign has killed more than 130 people, including a candidate.

In Baluchistan province, in the south-west of the country, a suicide bomber killed 128 people on Friday, including a politician candidate for a provincial legislature. Four others died in a strike in northwestern Pakistan, spreading panic in the country.

The attacks arrived a few hours before Sharif returned from London with his daughter Maryam to face a 10-year prison sentence. . Maryam Sharif faces seven years in prison.

He was detained to serve his sentence, but he should appeal and apply for bail. It was not clear when his call would be filed but he has until Monday.

In the southern city of Mastung, candidate Siraj Raisani and 127 others died when a suicide bomber blew himself up among dozens of supporters who had gathered at

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement issued by his Aamaq News Agency

The group gave no reason for the bombing that killed Raisani, Baluchistan party candidate Awami.

Raisani is the brother of the former chief minister of Baluchistan, Aslam Raisani. Interior Minister, Agha Umar Bungalzai, told The Associated Press that 300 people had been injured in the attack on Friday.

The US State Department strongly condemned this week's attacks on political candidates and their supporters in Pakistan. cowardly attempts to deprive the Pakistani people of their democratic rights, "he added." We will continue to support the people of Pakistan and all of South Asia in their fight against terrorism. "

Meanwhile, Sharif arrived from London in the eastern city of Lahore where he was visiting his sick wife when a Pakistani court Sharif's son-in-law is currently serving his one-year prison sentence for the same charge, which stems from the purchase of luxury apartments in Britain which, according to the court, were illegally purchased.

Before his return, police swept Lahore, arresting dozens Sharif's Islamic Party workers to prevent him from greeting him at the airport.

Barbed wire was strung on some roads leading to Lahore airport. Friday and the barricades were positioned by the side of the road, ready to close the prin the main boulevards if the crowds began to gather.

In a video message on Friday, he reportedly boarded his plane en route to Pakista. n, Sharif said that he came back knowing that he would be taken directly to jail.

Sharif was banned from participating in politics, and his brother Shahbaz Sharif now heads his Muslim League in Pakistan and is campaigning for re-election on July 25.

In a televised appeal to London supporters earlier this week, Sharif said he was not afraid of prison and asked people to vote for his party. He also took the opportunity to once again criticize the powerful Pakistani army, which has ruled the country directly or indirectly for 71 years, claiming that Pakistan now has a "state-over-state".

Sharif criticized the involvement of the military in civil affairs and its efforts to fight extremists.

Pakistani and international defense groups have accused the military of seeking to maintain their influence over Pakistani politics by keeping Sharif out of power. The army denied the accusations saying that their assistance in carrying out elections had been requested by the Pakistan Election Commission. The army will deploy 350,000 security guards to the country's polling stations on election day.

Friday's attacks were highlighted, the first having killed four people in the northwest near the election rally of a politician of an Islamist party. The blast targeted candidate Akram Khan Durrani, who escaped unharmed and injured 20 people, said local police chief Rashid Khan

Durrani is running for office on July 25 against the 39, former deputy Imran Khan. He is the candidate of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an electoral alliance of radical religious groups.

The bombings occurred a few days after a suicide bomber sent by the Pakistani Taliban killed secular politician Haroon Ahmed Bilour and 20 others at his rally.

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Sattar reported from Quetta, Pakistan, and the editors of the Associated Press Riaz Khan in Peshawar and Munir Ahmed and Kathy Gannon in Islamabad contributed to this report.

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