Rebirth of Jamaat-ud-Dawa in electoral arena
What’s in a name? Plenty, if the name is that of banned militant organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyabah (LeT), followed by that of its ‘under observation’ charity wing, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, though the latter’s leadership vehemently rejects any linkage between the two. Now the JuD’s ideological womb has spawned an entirely unexpected, and possibly, stillborn (if the Election Commission of Pakistan puts it foot down over the JuD connection) new entity, a political party to provide it convenient but, for some, uneasy space, in the country’s mainstream political process, the Milli Muslim League (MML), formally launched in Islamabad on Sunday by its chief, Saifullah Khalid.The physical founder of the JuD and spiritual guru of MML, Hafiz Saeed, holds democracy in contempt, calling it incompatible with Islam, stands accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks (passionately denied by him), designated as a ‘terrorist’ by the UN, carries a US bounty of $10 million and is under house arrest since January 2017 after intense international pressure was brought to bear. It is no surprise that his release tops the agenda of the newly- formed party, which can be a potent grassroots force in conjunction with the thousands of JuD volunteers working in the educational and disaster relief spheres. This nexus will also make the party’s source of funding and its money trail murky. The official registration documents have since been filed with the Election Commission by MML.
The new Election Bill 2017 has also been tabled on Monday in the National Assembly, which provides for greater powers and autonomy of the ECP in ensuring free, fair and transparent elections, including reportedly tougher conditions for registration of new political parties, whose total already exceeds 40. A new Code of Conduct needs to be drawn up during the parliamentary debate regarding the registration of parties which are avowedly against the democratic system and linked to proscribed groups. Pakistan is facing worldwide condemnation regarding ‘selective’ action against terrorists, the LeT and LeJ and their leaders, and the MML formation will surely prove the red rag to the bull.
