The Pakistan government has asked the Islamabad High Court to not allow Hafiz Saeed’s political party, the Milli Muslim League, to be registered for the general elections in the country in 2018, Dawn reported.
Saeed is a United Nations-designated terrorist and the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs called the league an “offshoot of proscribed entities, the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jamaat-ud-Dawa”, both of which are under international sanctions.
On December 2, Saeed confirmed that his Jamaat-ud-Dawa will contest the general elections in Pakistan. He had said the decision to enter politics was to highlight “the Kashmir cause internationally”. Saeed made the announcement after he was freed from house arrest on November 24.
The ministry told the court that its plea was based on an analysis done by a security agency. “The agency said it is difficult to believe the Milli Muslim League will tread its own path, completely at variance with its mother [LeT and JuD] organisations,” the ministry said, adding that the if such groups are registered, it would “breed violence and extremism in politics”.
In September, Pakistan’s Election Commission had refused to recognise the Milli Muslim League as a political party. It had also warned candidates from using the front’s name in election campaigns.
Last week, the United States also raised concerns about Saeed contesting the elections. “It’s a group that the United States government considers to be a terror organisation,” US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert had said.
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