Terror outfits, across the globe, have realised the importance of political legitimacy and political institutions in the modern world. Terrorists have also realised the value of stability in modern political system. So far, such outfits have influenced the global geopolitics only as non-state actors. However, the scenario has changed and these outfits are all set to grab the state power.
Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), a front for Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), recently announced that it launched the ‘Milli Muslim League’ (MML), as it planned to contest the 2018 General Elections in the South Asian country.
Although JuD’s recent announcement shocked the world (mainly the US and neighbouring India), it was not a ‘sudden’ decision at all. Sheikh Yaqoob, a JuD-backed candidate, contested by-election in the past. However, he was defeated by ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s wife Kuslsoom from a parliamentary seat, which fell vacant after the Supreme Court disqualified Sharif. Yaqoob welcomed the JuD’s announcement, saying that the new front “will field candidates in every constituency of the country” in 2018.

Sheikh Yaqoob
Yaqoob, placed on a US Treasury sanctions list of those designated as leaders of terrorist organisations in 2012, also expressed hope that the Election Commission of Pakistan would soon register MML as a political party, allowing it to contest the next General Elections. “We have got a very good response in by-poll. It was our first election and people have welcomed us,” he told the press.
Yaqoob is of the opinion that the MML will soon emerge as the main force in the Pakistani political system and will be able to challenge other major parties. He explained that the main goal of the newly-formed party is to make the country strong against its ‘enemies’ – America, India and Israel. Also, the MML will try to resolve the Pakistani people’s basic livelihood problems, stressed Yaqoob.

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed
Meanwhile, JuD sources said that senior members of the outfit decided to form the MML in January when their leader Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was detained in Lahore. The concerned authorities in Islamabad also detained Saeed’s close aides Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain under anti-terrorism act. It was not a spontaneous decision, as Islamabad made the move only because of Washington that put the Pakistani government under tremendous pressure over the issue of terrorism. America declared JuD as a foreign terrorist organisation in 2014. However, Pakistan refused to accept Saeed as a terrorist. Later, Washington strongly criticised Islamabad for encouraging Saeed and his JuD to implement their ‘programme’ in different parts of South Asia, saying that Pakistan must change its approach towards terror groups operating from its soil.

Nawaz Sharif with his wife
Now, it will be interesting to see what America and India’s reaction will be when MML will contest the election (and form the government in Pakistan).

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das