Pak court order clearing way for registration of Hafiz Saeed’s party ‘shocking’: India

India on Friday termed as “very shocking” a Pakistani court’s order asking the country’s election commission to hear the case of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed’s political party for registration and said it was an attempt to “mainstream” his activities.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also said that the order “exposes Pakistan’s duplicity” in taking action against terrorists and terror groups operating out of its soil.

On Thursday, the Islamabad high court set aside a decision by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to reject the application of Jamaat-ud-Dawah’s political front Milli Muslim League (MML) for registration as a political party.

It sent the case back to the ECP asking it to proceed further on the application by giving the party an opportunity of hearing.

Responding to a question on the issue, Kumar said, “It seems, this is an attempt by Pakistani establishment to mainstream him, his system as a political party. And this is a way of shielding the activities he earlier indulged in.”

“It is a very shocking development which completely exposes Pakistan’s duplicity in taking action against terrorists and terror groups operating out of Pakistani soil,” he said.

He said that Saeed is a UN proscribed terrorist and the prime organiser of the Mumbai terror attack, who has “blood on his hand of not only several innocent Indian citizens but also from any other countries across the world”.

Last month, a decision was taken at a plenary session of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international task force mandated to combat terror funding and money laundering, to put Pakistan in the grey list.

It will be placed in the grey list in June.

Kumar said Pakistan is mandated under the UN law to take action against Saeed.

“I think, the true face of Hafiz Saeed and true face of Pakistan is for all to see. Not only India but also the international community feels that the action which should be taken against Hafiz Saeed has not been taken,” he said.