JuD offshoot announces its general election candidates for Karachi

The Milli Muslim League’s (MML) Karachi chapter on Tuesday announced its candidates who will contest the general elections for different national and provincial assembly constituencies of Karachi under the banner of the Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek (AAT), a little-known registered political party.

In order to transform itself to integrate into mainstream politics again, the Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) had announced forming the MML, its political front, in August last year and fielded its candidates as independents in several by-polls in different parts of the country.

However, since the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has denied registration to the MML under the Political Parties Order 2002, they have fielded their candidates across the country under the banner of the AAT, whose electoral symbol is a chair.

According to an MML press release issued on Tuesday, the group has fielded its Karachi leader Muzammal Iqbal Hashmi in NA-242 and NA-243. Mudassir Chaudary Advocate and Ataullah will contest for NA-244 and NA-250, while a female candidate has been chosen for NA-251.

For the provincial assembly seats in the city, the party has fielded Muhammad Anees Ansar in PS-89, Imran Saleem in PS-90, Moiz Shehzad in PS-92, Ali Gabol in PS-99, Muhammad in PS-100, Fahad Yusuf in PS-101, Hakeem Sajid in PS-102 and Ubaid in PS-103.

Mudassir Chaudary Advocate will contest for PS-104, Muhammad Asif for PS-111, Chaudary Ejaz for PS-112, Amjad Islam Amjad for PS-114, Nadir Khan for PS-117, Imdad Ali for PS-118, Zahid Anwar for PS-119, Sher Bahadur for PS-120, Naseer Ahmed and Abdul Waheed Bandhani for PS-126 and Ahsan Habib for PS-128.

According to information available on the ECP’s website, the AAT is headed by Dr Mian Ihsan Bari and is headquartered in the Haroonabad area of Punjab’s Bahawalnagar district. After the then federal minister Mian Abdul Sattar Laleka’s death in 2004, Bari contested the by-polls from Bahawalnagar’s NA-190 under the banner of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal.

The JuD is on the government’s watch list and facing sanctions under the Anti-Terrorism Act for its suspected militant activities. The group is also on the US list of designated terrorist organisations.