More than 100 people killed in election violence in Pakistan

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LAHORE, Pakistan – The deadliest attacks in Pakistan's troubled electoral campaign left at least 132 people dead, including one candidate, on Friday, just before the arrest of the former disgraced prime minister. Nawaz Sharif on his return to the country

In Baluchistan province, in the south-west of the country, a suicide bomber killed 128 people, 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 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, party candidate Baluchistan 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. "

In the meantime, Sharif arrived from London in Lahore, where he was visiting his sick wife in a Pakistani court, and Sharif's son-in-law is currently serving a one-year prison term for the same charge. 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 of Islamist party workers Sharif to prevent them from greeting him at the airport.

Barbed wire was strung on some roads leading to Lahore airport. Friday and barricades were positioned at the roadside, ready to close the main boulevards if the crowds c 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 call 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 criticize again the powerful Pakistani army, which has ruled the country directly or indirectly for most of its 71-year history, claiming that Pakistan now has a "state of above the state ". Sharif criticized the involvement of the army in civil affairs and its efforts in the fight against extremists.

Pakistani and international defense groups have accused the military of seeking to maintain their influence in 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 polling day.

Highlighting the security threat, the Friday bombings killed four people in the northwest near a rally of an Islamist party politician.

The blast targeted candidate Akram Khan Durrani, who escaped unharmed and injured 20 people, said local police chief Rashid Khan.

Durrani comes to the July 25 vote against former MP Imran Khan. He is candidate of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an electoral alliance of radical religious groups

The attacks occurred a few days after a kamikaze sent by the Pakistani Taliban killed the political politician Haroon Ahmed Bilour and other 20 people at his rally.

Former deputy Imran Khan, who hopes to become the next prime minister, condemned Friday's attack against his opponent, Durrani. In a tweet, he said that there seems to be a conspiracy to sabotage the July 25 vote. But he said the Pakistani people would not allow anything to prevent the "historic" elections from taking place.