JuD is set to flex political muscle
lahore — Leader of hardline Jamat-ud-Dawah party Hafiz Saeed has confirmed that his organisation will contest the 2018 general election under the banner of the Milli Muslim League, which is yet to be registered with the Election Commission.
The banned JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group which is accused by India of carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack.
“The Milli Muslim League (MML) is planning to contest next year’s general election,” said Saeed, a terrorist leader designated by both the United Nations and the United States.
Talking to a group of columnists at the JuD headquarters in Chauburji here on Saturday, he dedicated 2018 for Kashmiris.
The JuD chief, who carries a bounty of $10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, walked free on November 24 after the government decided against detaining him further in any other case. He had been under detention since January this year.
In September when Saeed was under house arrest in Lahore, the JuD entered the political arena and contested a by-poll from NA-120 constituency.
That National Assembly seat had fallen vacant on the disqualification of prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Sharif’s wife Kulsoom Nawaz had won that seat.
JuD-backed candidate Sheikh Yaqoob, who secured 6,000 votes in the by-poll, had announced that the JuD would contest the 2018 election.
Yaqoob was placed in 2012 on a US Treasury sanctions list of those designated as leaders of terrorist organisations.
The founder of LeT vowed to continue supporting the Kashmiris fighting Indian forces in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
“I want to tell India that I will continue to support Kashmiris no matter what kind of difficulties are there. India wants us to stop raising voice for the Kashmiris. It is building pressure on the Pakistani government. I want to tell Pakistan that back channel diplomacy only caused harm to the Kashmir cause,” Saeed added.
He further said his detention in Pakistan and Hurriyat leaders in India was part of an international agenda.
“This had been done to harm the Kashmir cause. India is angry over my release from the house detention. I warn India if it does not stop atrocities against Kashmiris then this struggle will rise further and it will face the music,” he threatened.
Saeed has now filed the petition to de-list him from the UN list of designated terrorists.
He was also put under house arrest soon after the Mumbai attack, but he was freed by a court in 2009. — PTI