The Citizen (Gauteng)

No party for ‘terror’ group

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– A Pakistani group linked to the deadly 2008 Mumbai terror attacks was denied permission yesterday to register as a political party just weeks before national polls, officials said.

The Milli Muslim League (MML) was launched last August to contest the July 25 elections, which will be only the second democratic transfer of power in Pakistan’s history.

But the group was blackliste­d by the US in April, as Washington ramped up pressure on Islamabad to crack down on extremist groups operating in the country.

Yesterday the Election Commission officially rejected their applicatio­n to register as a political party, spokespers­on Altaf Ahmad said.

He said a detailed order would be issued later stating the reasons for the commission’s decision.

The MML was founded by charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a wing of the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

LeT is accused of mastermind­ing the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead and brought nuclear-armed India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

Six Americans were among those killed during the threeday rampage in Mumbai, when gunmen, who arrived by sea, fought pitched battles with Indian commandos.

JuD head Hafiz Saeed operates freely in Pakistan despite US bounty of $10 million (R130 million) on his head.

Saeed was declared a global terrorist by the US and United Nations over his alleged role in the attacks and is accused of links to the al-Qaeda terror network and Taliban militants.

He has denied involvemen­t in terrorism and the Mumbai attacks. –

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