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MASTUNG, PAKISTAN — Political leaders from multiple parties accuse Pakistan’s military of misconduct in the lead-up to the July 25 general election. Aslam Raisani, a politician from an impoverished rural district, tells Al Jazeera the military has intimidated voters and offered incentives to switch loyalties, from installing electricity transformers to offering to release relatives allegedly "disappeared" by the intelligence services.

The bigger picture: The military has ruled Pakistan for roughly half of its 70-year history, since independence from the British in 1947, and has been at the centre of allegations of "political engineering" before an election that would see the country's second civilian-to-civilian handover of power. The military denies any involvement in politics, saying it supports the democratic process.

The ruling PML-N party says corruption charges against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was arrested along with his daughter last Friday, are politically motivated, and that the military engineered his removal after pressuring the judiciary, a charge both deny.

Last Tuesday, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) politician Farhatullah Babar told a press conference that at least three PPP candidates had been threatened by people identifying themselves as military officers.

In Balochistan, the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) is suspected to be the face of the alleged engineering. BAP went from inception to fielding 58 candidates across the province within weeks. Leaders of other parties say this is evidence the scales were tipped in its favour.

Go deeper: Read the full report on Al Jazeera.

Shadow of military “engineering” hangs over Pakistan election

Multiple parties claim the military is tipping the scales

Supporters of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a Pakistani religious parties alliance, at a rally in Karachi. Photo: Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images

World

Pakistan

MASTUNG, PAKISTAN — Political leaders from multiple parties accuse Pakistan’s military of misconduct in the lead-up to the July 25 general election. Aslam Raisani, a politician from an impoverished rural district, tells Al Jazeera the military has intimidated voters and offered incentives to switch loyalties, from installing electricity transformers to offering to release relatives allegedly &quot;disappeared&quot; by the intelligence services.The bigger picture: The military has ruled Pakistan for roughly half of its 70-year history, since independence from the British in 1947, and has been at the centre of allegations of &quot;political engineering&quot; before an election that would see the country&#x27;s second civilian-to-civilian handover of power. The military denies any involvement in politics, saying it supports the democratic process.

Ramzan Mengal, the Balochistan chief of the ASWJ, has been seen leading crowds chanting slogans demonizing Shia Muslims as apostates. Photo: Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera

QUETTA — A far-right religious group that declares members of Islam's Shia sect to be heretics, and has been banned by Pakistan as a "terrorist" organization, is running 150 candidates for National Assembly in Pakistan's July 25 election.

The bigger picture: Pakistan's election has been chaotic, and the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat (ASWJ) is not the only group accused of links to armed groups taking part. But members of Quetta's Hazara community are not convinced that the ASWJ is disconnected from those who killed their family members.

Ramzan Mengal, the provincial chief of ASWJ and one of its candidates, tells Al Jazeera he has been allowed to campaign freely. ASWJ spokesperson Oneeb Farooqui says "all parties are coming to us to ask us for our support." 

Hameeda Hazara, a Shia candidate, says it's "disappointing" that Mengal will be on the ballot: "For some it was shocking, but for me it was like despair." 

For Agha Raza Hassan, a Hazara community leader, the ASWJ — and Mengal in particular — provide political and ideological cover for the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an armed group, to carry out the killings. "The political wing attempts to get into the parliament and protect those doing the killing," he says. "And then they have the ideological wing, in the form of seminaries, which gives them raw materials [for LeJ]."

Some have welcomed the ASWJ's involvement in politics, under what has been described by officials as a "mainstreaming" effort by the Pakistani state.

Religious supremacists campaign in Pakistan's election

Leading to fear and anger among religious minorities

<figure><img alt="" height="397" id="5401ef6b-232d-48b0-8f1a-08604e97c30f" src="https://images.axios.com/fPrGlxqgbYBKpZTvng6nZsbeGhQ=/2018/07/17/1531847353959.png" width="713"/><figcaption>Ramzan Mengal, the Balochistan chief of the ASWJ, has been seen leading crowds chanting slogans demonizing Shia Muslims as apostates. Photo: Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera</figcaption></figure>QUETTA — A far-right religious group that declares members of Islam&#x27;s Shia sect to be heretics, and has been banned by Pakistan as a &quot;terrorist&quot; organization, is running 150 candidates for National Assembly in Pakistan&#x27;s July 25 election.The bigger picture: Pakistan&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="election has been chaotic" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/pakistan-election-tlp-blashemy-politics-punjab-82abebf8-ff81-41f1-9c60-2b24b97d70bd.html" data-vars-content-id="2a2af921-e1a7-454c-8f2b-875445c9aea4" data-vars-headline="Religious supremacists campaign in Pakistan&#x27;s election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/pakistan-election-tlp-blashemy-politics-punjab-82abebf8-ff81-41f1-9c60-2b24b97d70bd.html" target="_self">election has been chaotic</a>, and the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat (ASWJ) is not the only group accused of links to armed groups taking part. But members of Quetta&#x27;s Hazara community are not convinced that the ASWJ is disconnected from those who killed their family members.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam submitted themselves for arrest and were taken into custody after arriving in Lahore from the UK on Friday evening. 

Why it matters: In a landmark verdict, the Sharifs were convicted last week by an anti-corruption court for not being able to prove a legitimate source for funds used to buy a set of upscale London apartments. The arrest will be a blow to the PML-N, which is contesting a July 25 general election as the incumbent party, but alleges that it has been the victim of "political engineering" by its opponents during the campaign.

Ex-prime minister Sharif arrested on return to Pakistan

Ahead of an election that's less than two weeks away

A supporter of Sharif's demonstrates in Lahore. Photo: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam submitted themselves for arrest and were taken into custody after arriving in Lahore from the UK on Friday evening. Why it matters: In a landmark verdict, the Sharifs were <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="convicted" data-vars-click-url="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/pakistan-pm-nawaz-sharif-sentenced-10-years-corruption-180706113036952.html" data-vars-content-id="5d0cd171-38fa-452b-98d4-3655bdcb0776" data-vars-headline="Ex-prime minister Sharif arrested on return to Pakistan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/pakistan-pm-nawaz-sharif-sentenced-10-years-corruption-180706113036952.html" target="_blank">convicted</a> last week by an anti-corruption court for not being able to prove a legitimate source for funds used to buy a set of upscale London apartments. The arrest will be a blow to the PML-N, which is contesting a July 25 general election as the incumbent party, but alleges that it has been the victim of &quot;political engineering&quot; by its opponents during the campaign.Go deeper: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Read more on Al Jazeera" data-vars-click-url="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/pm-nawaz-sharif-daughter-arrested-return-pakistan-180713164608833.html" data-vars-content-id="5d0cd171-38fa-452b-98d4-3655bdcb0776" data-vars-headline="Ex-prime minister Sharif arrested on return to Pakistan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/pm-nawaz-sharif-daughter-arrested-return-pakistan-180713164608833.html" target="_blank">Read more on Al Jazeera</a>.

Islamabad — Pakistan's government has asked a leading academic to step down as an economic adviser, the ruling PTI party announced Friday, after far-right groups objected to his appointment based on his faith.

Why it matters: Atif Mian, a renowned professor of economics at Princeton University who belongs to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam, had been appointed to the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) last week and has now agreed to resign. Pakistan is home to roughly half a million Ahmadis, a long-persecuted minority who are not allowed by Pakistani law to refer to themselves as Muslims, facing prison sentences for doing so. They are also frequently the targets of mob violence as well as targeted killings.

Last year, hundreds of protesters blockaded a major highway into the capital Islamabad over a minor change in a parliamentary oath, accusing the government of having committed "blasphemy" by softening the language of the declaration against Ahmadi beliefs. During the election campaign in July, now-Prime Minister Imran Khan, the leader of the PTI, frequently raised the issue, saying his rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had committed "blasphemy" by changing the oath.

This is not the first time Khan has backtracked on appointing Mian to a senior position. In 2014, when he was in opposition, he named Mian as an example of the kind of academic expert he wanted in charge of Pakistan's economy, rather than career politicians. On being informed that Mian was a member of the Ahmadi sect, however, Khan backtracked, saying he only meant his statement to apply to academic experts generally.

Last week's announcement that the Princeton professor was to serve on the country's 18-member Economic Advisory Council (EAC) came as a surprise to many, given the earlier controversy. At the time, however, the government defended the decision, with Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry saying his government would not bow down to "extremists."

Go deeper: Read the full Al Jazeera report.

Pakistan's government bows to far-right pressure in forcing out adviser

Princeton professor ousted over religious beliefs

Prime Minister Imran Khan. Photo: Muhhamad Reza/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Islamabad — Pakistan&#x27;s government has asked a leading academic to step down as an economic adviser, the ruling PTI party announced Friday, after far-right groups objected to his appointment based on his faith.Why it matters: Atif Mian, a renowned professor of economics at Princeton University who belongs to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam, had been appointed to the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) last week and has now agreed to resign. Pakistan is home to roughly half a million Ahmadis, a long-persecuted minority who are not allowed by Pakistani law to refer to themselves as Muslims, facing prison sentences for doing so. They are also frequently the targets of mob violence as well as targeted killings.

LAHORE — Pakistan's newest hardline religious party, TLP, which calls for blasphemers to be put to death and celebrates those who have murdered the alleged perpetrators, held a lively motorcycle rally last week through the streets of Lahore.

Why it matters: A year ago, this kind of a political rally, in the heart of the political base of Pakistan's ruling party, would have been unthinkable. But as Pakistan gears up for a general election in late July, the political environment is far from predictable, and new entrants have emerged onto the political scene.

Now, the TLP is set to put up more than 550 candidates for national and provincial assembly seats across the country, and is confident it can mobilize a religiously-motivated vote on the basis of its anti-blasphemy and anti-corruption agenda.

Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, where at least 74 people have been killed in attacks motivated by blasphemy accusations since 1990, according to an Al Jazeera tally. The TLP's election posters often carry images of those who have killed in the name of the prophet's honor.

"When it involves the honor of the Prophet Muhammad, the finality of his prophethood or the dishonoring of his person, then every Muslim will become an extremist," says Ejaz Ashrafi, a senior TLP leader, in an interview with Al Jazeera.

The bigger picture: Political analysts say the TLP is unlikely to win a parliamentary seat, but will get a significant number of votes in central Punjab province, possibly acting as a "spoiler" in two-way fights between the PML-N and PTI parties.

Blasphemy politics in Pakistan's unpredictable election

A new hardline religious party emerges onto the scene

<figure><img alt="" height="401" id="b7791e22-cb63-4d04-a7a9-c90b20d8a5fb" src="https://images.axios.com/3jTQ9L-lABupqp42BdKfMwmZ0c8=/2018/07/12/1531416028568.png" width="711"/><figcaption>Photo: Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera</figcaption></figure>LAHORE — Pakistan&#x27;s newest hardline religious party, TLP, which calls for blasphemers to be put to death and celebrates those who have murdered the alleged perpetrators, held a lively motorcycle rally last week through the streets of Lahore.Why it matters: A year ago, this kind of a political rally, in the heart of the political base of Pakistan&#x27;s ruling party, would have been unthinkable. But as Pakistan gears up for a general election in late July, the political environment is far from predictable, and new entrants have emerged onto the political scene.

Asad Hashim of Al Jazeera

Stories

Pakistan's government bows to far-right pressure in forcing out adviser

Shadow of military “engineering” hangs over Pakistan election

Religious supremacists campaign in Pakistan's election

Ex-prime minister Sharif arrested on return to Pakistan

Blasphemy politics in Pakistan's unpredictable election