‘Islamist party’s backing of candidate was military’s plan’

LAHORE: The backing of a candidate in a by-election last weekend in Pakistan, by a political party controlled by an Islamist with a US$10 million (RM42 million) United States bounty on his head, was in line with a plan put forward by the military last year to mainstream militant groups, according to sources familiar with the proposal.

The Milli Muslim League (MML) party loyal to Hafiz Saeed, who the US and India accuse of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, won five per cent of the votes in the contest for the seat vacated when prime minister Nawaz Sharif was removed from office by the Supreme Court in July.

But the foray into politics by Saeed’s Islamist charity appears to be following a blueprint that Sharif himself rejected when the military proposed it last year, according to three government officials and a retired former general briefed on the discussions.

None of the sources interviewed for this article could say for sure if the MML’s founding was the direct result of the military’s plan, which was not discussed in meetings after Sharif put it on ice last year.

The MML denies its political ambitions were engineered by the military. The official army spokesman did not comment after queries were sent to his office about the mainstreaming plan and what happened to it.

Pakistan’s powerful military has long been accused of fostering militant groups as proxy fighters opposing neighbouring arch-enemy India, a charge the army denies. Reuters