Islamabad: The United States placed Pakistan’s Milli Muslim League political party on its list of foreign terrorist organisations on Monday, linking it with militants that the United States and India blame for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
Controlled by Islamist leader Hafiz Saeed, who has a $10-million US bounty on his head, the Milli Muslim League shot to prominence after fielding a candidate in a September 2017 by-election to fill a seat vacated by deposed Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Saeed is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, which is also on the US terrorist list and blamed by the United States and India for four days of shootings and bombings in Mumbai in 2008.
Saeed has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.
“These designations seek to deny LeT the resources it needs to plan and carry out further terrorist attacks,” the State Department said in a statement.
“Make no mistake: whatever LeT chooses to call itself, it remains a violent terrorist group. The United States supports all efforts to ensure that LeT does not have a political voice until it gives up violence as a tool of influence,” the statement added.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The State and the Treasury Departments announced on Monday that the MML, which openly campaigns with posters of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, has been added under LeT’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under two different laws.
The Treasury Department said that it was also targeting MML President Saifullah Khalid, General Secretary Fayyaz Ahmad and five others.
“LeT continues to operate freely within Pakistan, holding public rallies, raising funds, and plotting and training for terrorist attacks,” the State Department said.
“Today’s amendments take aim at Lashkar-e-Taiba’s efforts to circumvent sanctions and deceive the public about its true character.”
Treasury Undersecretary Sigal Mandelker warned that “those working with the Milli Muslim League, including providing financial donations, should think twice about doing so or risk exposure to US sanctions.”
“Treasury is targeting the Milli Muslim League and a group of seven global terrorists who are complicit in Lashkar-e-Taiba’s attempts to undermine Pakistan’s political process,” she added.
Saeed created the MML last August as the group’s political front and LeT members make up MML’s leadership and the “so-called party” openly displays Saeed’s likeness in its election banners and literature, the State Department said.
The Pakistan Election Commission has rejected MML’s application to be recognised as a political party.
In October 2017, Pakistan’s electoral commission barred the Milli Muslim League from contesting elections, saying the party had links with militant groups and could not be registered with the commission.
In March 2018 the Islamabad High Court ordered the election commission register the party.
Under pressure from the United States, the United Nations and international institutions to crack down on terrorist financing, Pakistan drew up secret plans last December for a “takeover” of charities linked to Saeed.
Saeed has since taken the government decision to court.
Saeed was placed under house arrest in January 2017 after years of living freely in Pakistan but a court ordered his release in November 2017.
Saeed’s freedom in Pakistan, where he holds public rallies, has been a thorn in Islamabad’s relations with India and the United States.
