Hafiz Saeed's led Milli Muslim League included to "terrorist organization" list by the US

The United States has declared Hafiz Saeed's Milli Muslim League as a terrorist organization as it has included it in its list of terrorist organizations.

The US announcement came after the Election Commission of Pakistan had already rejected the bid of Milli Muslim League to get itself registered as a political party with an apparent aim to take part in the forthcoming general elections 2018. 

Milli Muslim League was included in the list of proscribed organizations after the US Department of State has amended the designation of Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) to include the aliases Milli Muslim League (MML) and Tehreek-e- Azadi-e Kashmir (TAJK). The aliases have been added to LeT’s designations as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), it added.

Ambassador Nathan A. Sales, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State said, “today’s amendments take aim at Lashkar e-Tayyiba’s efforts to circumvent sanctions and deceive the public about its true character. 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.”

Today, @StateDeptCT has amended the designation of Pakistan-based terrorist organization Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) to include the aliases Milli Muslim League (MML) and Tehreek-e- Azadi-e Kashmir (TAJK). https://t.co/NiDG1xZvCL

— Department of State (@StateDept) April 2, 2018

Among other consequences of the designations, LeT’s property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the group.

The US State Department on April 2 statement said that the LeT has repeatedly changed its name over the years to avoid sanctions. In January 2017, LeT began operating under the name Tehreek-e-Azadi-e-Kashmir. LeT has engaged in terrorist activities under this name. In August 2017, LeT chief Hafiz Saeed created the MML to serve as a political front for the group. LeT members make up MML’s leadership and the so-called party openly displays Saeed’s likeness in its election banners and literature.

Concurrently with today’s State Department actions, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated seven members of the MML central leadership body for acting for on behalf of LeT: Saifullah Khalid, Muzammil Iqbal Hashimi, Muhammad Harris Dar, Tabish Qayyuum, Fayyaz Ahmad, Faisal Nadeem, and Muhammad Ehsan, the statement added.

Treasury targets terror group Lashkar-e Tayyiba and its political party, the Milli Muslim League. OFAC and @StateDept designate seven officials complicit in attempts to undermine Pakistan’s political process as Specially Designated Global Terrorists: https://t.co/427726fW8D

— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) April 2, 2018

Today’s actions notify the U.S. public and the international community that TAJK and MML are aliases of LeT. Terrorism designations expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of U.S. agencies and other governments, the statement concluded.

ECP rejects MML request

The MML filed the application with the ECP for its recognition as a political party. The Ministry of Interior in a letter to the ECP had asked the election body to ban the party for having alleged links with banned militant outfits, the ARY News reported.

The Chief Election Commissioner, who headed a bench of ECP, observed that the Ministry’s reservations are of serious nature, which needed to be addressed first before the party’s registration. The CEC pointed out that the Ministry had reservations with regard to the party’s links with banned militant outfits, adding that the party should approach the Ministry to address them.