Party backed by Hafiz fields candidates in Pakistan election

A new political front organization of Hafiz Saeed has fielded candidates for most of the national and provincial Assembly constituencies across Pakistan for the February 8 general elections, saying it wants to make the country an Islamic welfare state.

Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, has been in jail since 2019 after being convicted for several years in multiple terror finance cases along with some other leaders of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

The Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) party — set up by Saeed — says it is a political party. The electoral symbol for the PMML is ‘chair’.

In a video message, PMML President Khalid Masood Sindhu said that his party is contesting on most of the national and provincial Assembly seats.

“We want to come to power not for corruption but to serve the people and make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state,” he said.

Mr. Sindhu is a candidate for NA-130 Lahore, from which Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is also contesting. Saeed’s son Talha Saeed is contesting from Lahore’s NA-127. When contacted, Sindhu denied his party’s link with Saeed’s outfit.