Pakistan

Hafiz Saeed opens office for his political party Milli Muslim League in Lahore

Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed has opened the first political office of Milli Muslim League (MML) in Lahore district.

Saeed, the co-founder of Lashkar-e-Toiba and chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), was freed by a Pakistan court after being under house arrest for 297 days. His release was met with global outcry, with the United States asking the Pakistan government to immediately re-arrest and prosecute him.

Milli Muslim League (MML) has been touted as the political face JuD. The country’s Interior Ministry has further called it an offshoot of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Saeed inaugurated the MML office on Mohni Road and listened to civic problems of the area people, a report in Pakistani daily Dawn stated.

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has opposed the registration of MML as a political party with the Election Commission by terming it as an “offshoot of proscribed entities”. The Ministry`s opposition came after a security agency`s report expressing apprehension that the registration of MML as a political party “would breed violence and extremism in politics”.

Interestingly, the MML office was inaugurated from National Assembly constituency NA-120 of Lahore district – a seat traditionally contested by the Sharifs, who never lost since their debut in politics in 1985 here.

The MML is yet to be registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The party has already fielded Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh fight the election under its banner. Sheikh filed his nomination papers with the ECP as an independent candidate.

Expressing support for Saeed, former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf said that he would welcome an alliance with for the general election in 2018.

 

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