Pakistan receives negative feedback over MML’s active participation in politics
September 29, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has recommended the federal government not to allow proscribed organisations to take part in active politics after getting negative feedback from Pakistani diplomatic missions abroad over participation of the Milli Muslim League (MML) in NA-120 by-polls in Lahore.
The diplomatic reactions received by many Pakistani missions in Middle East, Europe, United Kingdom, United States and Canada led MoFA to write to Ministry of Interior (MoI) advising to keep an eagle eye on such organisations, either proscribed by Pakistan or the United Nations Security Council through its resolutions.
“Recent political activities of the group [Milli Muslim League] have also been officially objected at diplomatic level — Ministry of Foreign Affairs has highlighted our international obligations and commitment to National Action Plan and recommended that Ministry of Interior take up the matter of registration and activities of MML and its association with proscribed organisations with the Election Commission of Pakistan to avoid any negative consequences for Pakistan and therefore recommended that MML application for registration should not be supported for registration,” read the content of the letter MoI wrote the ECP.
Officials familiar with this latest development told this correspondent that “the relevant institutions of the state are of the view that elements/personalities identified with the proscribed organisations may not be given a role in politics because it would be inappropriate and will have severe implications for Pakistan both in the domestic and external context.”
“The Ministry of Interior has taken up the issue with security agencies. The reply of one agency is awaited; while the other agency has intimated that indulgence of proscribed/under observation organisation in the political process with an aim to win legitimacy is a serious issue, thereby neutralising the gains of the National Action Plan. Given the clamour, philosophy, outreach and modus operandi to operate, it is difficult to believe that the MML will tread its own path, completely at variance with its mother organisation. In view of the above, the registration of MML is not supported,” read the letter exclusively made available with The News.
Further in its letter, the ministry asked the ECP not to register the MML as a political party. The party, headed by Saifullah Khalid, had applied for registration with the electoral body after which the ECP sought comments from MoI through a letter written on August 24, 2017. Then again, a reminder was sent by the ECP on September 11 to MoI which sought help of two intelligence agencies — Inter Services Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau — and Foreign Office of Pakistan.
The MoFA, in its response, also quoted the letter of ECP written to the Foreign Office as stating that “the same is also substantiated vide your letter date 24th August, wherein Mr Saifullah Khalid, President Milli Muslim League has claimed that the leader of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed—were ideologically affiliated with each other—(i.e. MML). There is evidence to substantiate that Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), the JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) are affiliates and ideologically of the same hue. Lashkar-e-Tayyaba has been proscribed since 2002 whereas FIF and JUD placed under restrictions since January 2017 and later extended up to January 2018 under Anti Terrorism Act 1997. They have also attracted sanction under the United Nations Security Council Resolution No 1267 and dealt accordingly.”
But MML’s top leadership is still hopeful that the ECP would consider registration of this new party, claiming “they submitted all the required documents and party’s workers are true patriotic.”
Officials dealing with the matter at ECP told this scribe that the polls body is going to take up this issue this week and mostly probably will follow recommendations of MoI, MoFA and a secret agency which opposed MML’s afflation with ECP.
