Hafiz Saeed backed AAT launches 260 candidates including 10 women for General Elections across Pakistan

Hafiz Saeed backed AAT launches 260 candidates including 10 women for General Elections across Pakistan

LAHORE – The Milli Muslim League (MML), political branch of the banned Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), will contest the general elections under the umbrella of Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek.

Hafiz Saeed led MML’s registration was denied earlier by Election Commission of Pakistan.

The Ministry of Interior had written a letter to the election body showing reservations on the registration of MML as a political party and asked it to ban the party.

Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek fielded 260 candidates to show their political power in general elections which are scheduled to held on July 25.

The final list has 79 candidates for the National Assembly and 181 for four provincial assemblies.

The list includes the names of Hafiz Talha Saeed, son of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, (for NA-91). Hafiz Saeed’s son-in-law, Khalid Waleed, is a candidate in PP-167.

Interestingly, the list has 10 female candidates for general seats along with three for reserved seats.

Party spokesman, Ahmed Nadeem Awan, expressed that apart from 5 per cent quota for female candidates made mandatory by the Election Act, the party had given tickets to women out of conviction, not compulsion.

The party has fielded 36 National Assembly candidates from Punjab, 29 from Sindh, 28 from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 14 from Balochistan and eight from Fata. It has put up five candidates in Karachi and four in Lahore.

The AAT is listed at number 10 in ECP’s list of approved parties. It is headed by Dr Mian Ihsan Bari from Bhawalpur. Bari’s official title in the party is “Adnaa Khadim-e-Pakistan” (A humble servant of Pakistan). The party has already been allotted ‘chair’ as election symbol.