A hostile state How military tried to stifle Imran Khan's PTI party

For months, police blocked Arsalan Hafeez from entering the Pakistani constituency where he stood for election last week. Since he put himself forward as the candidate for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the political party led by Pakistan's now incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, Hafeez alleges that the state's machinery did everything to prevent him from contesting his district of Narowal in the state of Punjab.

- Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Shah Meer Baloch

He claims police checkpoints repeatedly blocked his entry and all attempts to campaign and hold rallies. Even attempts to talk to potential voters were obstructed, he says. He has also accused the police of attempting to intimidate him and his family.

"We have been harassed constantly by police, many of my workers arrested for trying to campaign, and I can't even go into my constituency," said Hafeez, speaking before last week's vote.

"They have also registered many false cases against me. They are going after me like a criminal when all I am trying to do is freely fight an election." The parliamentary elections came against a backdrop of a crackdown on the PTI and rising militant attacks. Last week, at least 30 people were killed when bombs ripped through two political offices in the restive south-western state of Balochistan. Violence at election time is common in Pakistan, which has struggled to rein in various militant groups.

Hafeez's case was not unique. Since violent protests erupted last May, leaders and workers of PTI have alleged a campaign of intimidation and arrests designed to debilitate the party. Fourteen PTI candidates stood in the election from jail.