Lahore, Jun 9:  Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s JuD is fielding more than 200 candidates for national and provincial assembly seats across Pakistan in the July 25 general election through a dormant political entity as his party has been denied recognition, even though he himself has decided not to run for parliament.

Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), a front for the Lashkar-e- Taiba militant group that carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attack, launched its political front Milli Muslim League (MML), but it has not been yet registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

With general elections approaching, the group decided to contest on the platform of a “dormant” political entity, Allaha-u-Akbar Tehreek (AAT), registered with the ECP.

“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,” Ahmad Nadeem, an MML spokesperson, told PTI today.

Asked if Saeed plans to run as a parliamentary candidate in this election, the spokesman said: “No … Hafiz sahib has no such plans at the moment.”

He said the AAT will launch its political campaign once its candidates file nomination papers.

It is believed that since the MML has hardly any chance to get registered with the ECP as the latter had announced the election schedule and issued election symbols, it had no other option but to contest the election on any ‘dormant’ entity like the AAT.

The interior ministry had opposed enlisting of the MML as a political party arguing it is an offshoot of Saeed’s JuD banned under a UN resolution.

The JuD formed the MML at the time when Saeed was detained in Lahore. Saeed and his four aides – Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain – were placed under house arrest in Lahore on January 30 last year under the anti-terrorism act. He was released from house arrest in November.

The JuD was declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014. The JuD chief also carries a USD 10 million American bounty on his head for his role in terror activities.  (Agencies)