Entering mainstream politics: JuD launches political party
Chief of JuD that launched the party has been designated as a 'terrorist' by the UN. Photo: Reuters
(Web Desk) – A Pakistan-based charity, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, that has been accused of being a front for anti-India militant group has entered mainstream Pakistani politics by the launch of a new political party – the Milli Muslim League.
Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the chief of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) organisation that launched the party, has been designated by the UN as a "terrorist", and the United States has had a $10m bounty on his head since 2012 for his alleged role as the leader of LeT armed group.
According to Al Jazeera, at the formal launch of the Milli Muslim League (MML) party in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Monday, party chief Saifullah Khalid was clear that he held Saeed in high regard, although the question of what role he would play in the party remained an unanswered one.
"What role he will play in the Milli Muslim League or in Pakistan s ongoing politics will be seen after Allah ensures his release," said Akhtar, adding that the issue of Saeed s release was high on the MML s agenda.
Pakistani police have held Saeed under house arrest in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore since January under local anti-terrorism laws. His detention was extended for a further two months on August 1. The UN sanctions include the freezing of all assets, a ban on international travel, and an arms embargo.
The Pakistani government lists JuD as "under observation" on a list of banned "terrorist organisations", rather than banning the group outright. LeT has been listed as a "terrorist organisation" by Pakistan since 2002.
Saeed has been under house arrest since January. Photo: Reuters
Khalid said that the MML will work in close conjunction with JuD, which has a network of thousands of volunteers across Pakistan who work mainly in the education and disaster and medical relief sectors. "We will maintain coordination with Jamaat-ud-Dawa and all other like-minded organisations that hold the ideology of Pakistan … we will offer them our cooperation, and accept theirs."
Khalid has long been a member of the JuD s central leadership. In June, he led funeral prayers in absentia for those killed by Indian security forces in Kashmir, Indian media reported.
According to Reuters, Tabish Qayoum, a JuD activist who will work as spokesperson for the MML, said the charity had filed registration papers for a new party with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). “It is now need of the hour to get your message to the grassroots,” Qayoum told Reuters.
Qayoum said Saeed, who missed the launch event as he remains under house arrest in Lahore, and other senior JuD figures are unlikely to be involved in the new party that will adhere to JuD’s ideology. “We demand an immediate release of Hafiz Saeed. Once he is released we will seek his guidance and ask what role he wants in this political party,” added party chief Khalid.
Ayesha Siddiqa, a security analyst, told the Reuters news agency that the new party was designed to cloak the group amid heightening pressure from the international community on Pakistan to crack down on LeT and JuD. "The making of a party indicates the need of JuD to hide itself further so to avoid criticism," Siddiqa told the news agency.
While Saeed was unable to attend the MML s launch event in Islamabad owing to his arrest, Yahya Mujahid, a close aide and also subject to UN terrorism sanctions, was present at the news conference. He confirmed to Al Jazeera that Saeed was challenging his detention in Pakistani courts. "He is in high spirits," said Mujahid.
