RAWALPINDI: A woman supporter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) holds a picture of Hanif Abbasi, a party candidate who was jailed for life, as she takes part in an election campaign rally. — AFP

ISLAMABAD: A candidate for the party of Pakistan's ousted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been jailed for life by an anti-narcotics court, just days before a general election. Hanif Abbasi, seen as a strong candidate for the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) in Wednesday's poll, was sentenced in a rare late-night session Saturday.

The six-year-old case was related to the supply of ephedrine to a drug smuggler. Critics have long accused Pakistan's powerful military, including its Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, of meddling in politics and judicial affairs, a charge it denies. Nawaz Sharif himself has accused the generals of targeting his party, including intimidating his candidates to switch allegiances-particularly in Punjab province.

Earlier Saturday an Islamabad High Court judge, Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, publicly accused the ISI of manipulating judicial decisions. "ISI is fully involved in manipulating judicial process. ISI people get their choice of benches formed in the courts, cases are marked," he told lawyers in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

The political involvement of the military and ISI is rarely discussed openly due to fear of repercussions. Rights defenders have long accused the ISI of kidnapping and torturing rights activists, journalists and dissenting voices. Journalists in Pakistan say they have come under unprecedented pressure from the authorities before the election. The military asked the supreme court Sunday to probe Siddiqui's allegations.

"In order to safeguard the sanctity and credibility of the state institutions, Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan has been requested to initiate appropriate process to ascertain the veracity of the allegations and take actions accordingly," a statement said. Nearly 106 million Pakistanis, including more than 19 million new voters, will be eligible to cast their ballots on Wednesday.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which took power in 2013, hopes for a new mandate under leader Shahbaz Sharif, a brother of the ousted Nawaz. Its biggest challenger is the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, led by former national cricket captain Imran Khan. The Pakistan Peoples Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-son of murdered premier Benazir Bhutto-could become kingmaker by forming a coalition with one of its rivals.

Poll candidate killed in suicide blast

Meanwhile, an election candidate and his driver were killed by a suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan yesterday, police said, three days before the country's general election. Ikramullah Gandapur, a member of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was contesting polls for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly.

He "succumbed to his injuries in Combined Military Hospital after a suicide bomber blew himself up near his Land Cruiser (SUV) this morning," district police chief Zaheer Afridi told AFP. Faraz Mughul, Gandapur's assistant, confirmed the casualties. "Our hearts weep for him and his family and we pray for both," the PTI said in a statement. The Pakistani Taleban claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent to the media.

The bombing is the latest in a number of attacks targeting politicians campaigning ahead of the national polls on July 25. A suicide blast in the southwestern province of Balochistan on July 13 killed 149 people -- one of Pakistan's worst-ever terror attacks -- underscoring continuing security challenges in the country following years of dramatic improvements. Violence in Pakistan has dropped significantly in recent years as a result of intensified military operations against militants in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. But analysts have long warned that Pakistan is not tackling the root causes of extremism, and that militants retain the ability to carry out spectacular attacks. The military has warned of threats ahead of the polls, and said it will deploy more than 370,000 soldiers for security on election day. - AFP