Arrest of Nawaz Sharif and His Daughter on a Bloody Day in Pakistan

Nawaz Sharif, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, and his daughter Maryam, who have been sentenced to prison in absentia, were arrested upon their return to the country on Friday evening, July 13. At the same time, police reported that the death toll from two bombings in the cities of Quetta and Bannu has reached at least 89. According to a German news agency citing a Pakistani official, after the plane carrying Nawaz Sharif and his daughter landed in Lahore, agents from the 'Anti-Corruption Organization' arrested them. Last week, Pakistan's National Accountability Court sentenced Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison for 'corruption' in a case involving the purchase of luxury homes in London, and Maryam Nawaz to seven years in prison, along with disqualification from participating in elections. Mr. Sharif, who has been in the UK for several months, announced his return to his country in recent days ahead of the general elections on August 25. The news of Nawaz Sharif's decision, who leads the 'Muslim League, Nawaz branch', added to the electoral tensions in Pakistan. According to Reuters, Lahore was heavily secured on Friday, with thousands of police deployed on the streets. Government officials have banned any gatherings in Lahore; however, Nawaz Sharif's supporters stated they would march towards the airport. The arrival of Mr. Sharif in Pakistan and the arrest of him and his daughter coincided with a day when election-related bombings left at least 89 dead in the country, marking one of the bloodiest days in Pakistan in the past year. According to police officials, one of the two attacks on Friday occurred at an election rally for a candidate near Quetta, where a suicide bomber killed at least 85 people. More than 120 others were injured in this explosion. Supporters of Siraj Raisani, a candidate from the 'Awami Balochistan' party, were present at this election rally, and local officials reported that this candidate was also among the dead. The ISIS group claimed responsibility for this suicide attack in a statement on its website, known as 'Amaq'. Hours before this explosion, a campaign convoy of another candidate named Akram Khan Durrani was targeted by a bombing in the city of Bannu in northern Pakistan, resulting in 4 deaths and at least 32 injuries, but Mr. Durrani survived the explosion. Pakistan's general elections are scheduled for July 25, and current polls indicate a lead for Akram Khan Durrani and Imran Khan. Each of these two would become Prime Minister of Pakistan if victorious. Akram Khan Durrani, a former Minister of Housing and Works in Pakistan, is an Islamist figure and has been nominated by the 'United Action Council', an alliance of radical religious groups. Imran Khan, a former national cricket team player and also a former member of the Pakistani parliament, is a well-known figure and is participating in the elections with the 'Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf' party. Mr. Khan condemned the explosion on the route of Mr. Durrani's convoy and tweeted: 'Despite conspiracies to sabotage the elections in two weeks, the people of Pakistan will not allow any plan to undermine the success of this election.' No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the explosion in Bannu on Friday. Three days prior, a suicide bombing occurred at an election rally for a secular candidate in Peshawar, in northwestern Pakistan, resulting in 20 deaths, for which the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility.