A religious leader based in Islamabad, who is placed by the United States on a terror watch list, on Tuesday announced to support the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the upcoming general elections scheduled for July 25.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil was placed by the US government on Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) list on September 30, 2014, for his alleged role in Harkatul Mujahideen (HuM) militant organisation, which he reportedly founded in the past.
He later founded and is still heading Ansarul Ummah, which he says is a political party. Both HuM and Ansarul Ummah (AuU) are on the SDGT list.
Khalil’s AuU also took part in the last local government elections.
PTI leader Asad Umar took to social media to announce that Khalil along with hundreds of other Ulemas (clerics) had joined the PTI and announced to support him in the upcoming elections.
“Maulana Fazlur Rehman Kahlil has joined the PTI along with hundreds of his followers and Ulema,” Umar wrote in a Facebook post with an album showing Umar being welcomed by Khalil and others and the two addressing the ceremony.