Pakistan minister visits office of Hafiz Saeed's banned Jamat ud Dawah's political wing, talks democracy

This is the first visit of any Pakistani federal minister to the PMML offices in recent times.

A Pakistani minister and close aide to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday visited the office of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political face of Hafiz Saeed's banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah, in Punjab and met its leaders.

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed, (File)

Minister of State for Interior Senator Talal Chaudhry visited the PMML House, Faisalabad, some 130 km from Lahore, where he was received by PMML leaders. His visit is seen as an "official patronage" of the Shehbaz regime to Saeed's political outfit.

Saeed, the Mumbai attack mastermind, has been in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail since 2019 after he was convicted in multiple terror financing cases.

In a statement, the PMML said that during the visit, Chaudhry held a detailed meeting with the party leadership.

"The discussions focused on the prevailing political situation and key national issues. Both sides emphasised the importance of national unity, political stability, and the continuity of democratic processes in the country," it said.

It further said the participants agreed that in the current circumstances, all political forces must adopt a collective and constructive approach to promote harmony and strengthen democratic institutions.

Since the Pakistan-India conflict in May, following the Pahalgam terror attack, the PMML has become fully active under the government umbrella in the country.