Hafiz Saeed not to contest Pakistan general elections, JuD to run for over 200 seats

Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s Jammat-ud-Dawah (JuD) would contest on more than 200 seats in the July 25 general elections in Pakistan. Saeed, however, has decided not to run for Parliament.

The JuD has launched its own political outfit Milli Muslim League (MML) but it could get registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

After it failed to register its own party MML with the ECP, the JuD, a front for the Lashkar-e- Taiba militant group, will contest the upcoming Pakistan general elections under a dormant political party named Allah-u-Akbar-Tehreek (AAT).

“MML president Saifullah Khalid and AAT chief Ehsan Bari have agreed to field joint candidates on the platform of ATT in the upcoming elections. Under the seat adjustment agreement, the MML will field more than 200 educated candidates. They will contest the elections on the AAT’s election symbol chair,” PTI quoted Ahmad Nadeem, an MML spokesperson as saying.

Members and activists of JuD have started taking nomination papers from the election commission.

When asked if the Mumbai terror attack mastermind also plans to contest elections, Nadeem responded in negative.

“No ... Hafiz sahib 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 to the parliament,” he said,

The AAT is like a “dormant political entity” which was registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan by a local citizen named Ehsan. In Pakistan, several political parties have such dormant entities to fight elections in case of any issues related to their mainstream party.