Pak polls: Saeed’s JuD to field over 200 candidates
ISLAMABAD : Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed is not contesting Pakistan’s general elections and his political party has not been registered by the Election Commission, but that hasn’t deterred the JuD from fielding hundreds of candidates for polls to the Parliament and provincial assemblies.
The JuD launched its political front, the Milli Muslim League (MML) last year, but it has not been registered by the Election Commission. The group has now decided to contest the July 25 elections through a dormant political entity, the Allah-hu-Akbar Tehreek (AAT) that is registered with the poll panel.
“MML president Saifullah Khalid and AAT chief Ehsan Bari have agreed to field joint candidates on the platform of AAT in the upcoming elections. Under a seat adjustment, the MML will field more than 200 educated candidates,” MML spokesperson Ahmad Nadeem told the media.
“They will contest the elections on the AAT’s election symbol, a chair,” he said, adding a number of political figures who joined the MML had been given AAT tickets. Asked whether Saeed, the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba and the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, plans to run as a parliamentary candidate, Nadeem said: “No…Hafiz sab has no such plans at the moment. The MML is taking part for the first time in the general elections and hopefully, we will make it to the Parliament.”
Replying to another question on whether any “significant leader” of the JuD would contest the polls, he said: “Our priority is that those joining us from other political parties or educated youth in respective constituencies be given AAT tickets.”
He said AAT will launch its political campaign once its candidates file their nomination papers. MML president Saifullah Khalid will make a formal announcement regarding this shortly, he added. The interior ministry has opposed the recognition of the MML.