00:00 A recent BBC Urdu report has raised concerns about certain candidates nominated by the
00:07 Pakistan's Markaz-e-Muslim League, alleging connections to Hafiz Saeed and associates
00:13 with banned groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ul-Dawa and Mili Muslim League.
00:19 Hafiz Saeed, currently imprisoned in Lahore, faces a 31-year sentence for terrorism financing.
00:25 The report suggests that Saeed's son, Talha Saeed, is contesting election from Markaz-e-Muslim
00:31 League with other nominees linked to the previously banned parties.
00:34 And so, the analysts are now arguing that the Markaz-e-Muslim League is perceived as
00:38 Hafiz Saeed's new organisation, a new political face.
00:43 The report also addresses the broader issue of mainstreaming radical groups in Pakistan's
00:47 political landscape.
00:49 For the unaware, Hafiz Saeed, designated a global terrorist by the United Nations in
00:53 2008, has faced extradition requests from India.
00:57 His son, Talha Saeed, is reportedly contesting the National Assembly constituency NA-122
01:02 in Lahore.
01:04 The party denies any affiliation with Saeed's organisation, but reports suggest otherwise.
01:11 Several leaders of the party are actually tied to Jamaat-ul-Dawal, which tried to participate
01:15 in the 2018 election through the Mili Muslim League, which was subsequently banned by the
01:20 Election Commission of Pakistan.
01:22 The party candidates then participated under the new banner of Allahu Akbar Tehreek, but
01:27 saw a very limited success.
01:29 While Mili Muslim League is not officially banned in Pakistan, the US Treasury Department
01:33 designated it as a terrorist organisation back in 2018 already, with seven members labelled
01:38 as global terrorists.
01:40 Four of these individuals are now reportedly nominated by the Markaz-e-Muslim League for
01:43 seats in Punjab and Sindh assemblies.
01:46 And now, this party is set to fight in the elections.
01:49 And if Markaz-e-Muslim wins the election, it will be an alarming condition as legitimate
01:54 extremists will be ruling Pakistan, which is already known for harbouring terrorists.
01:59 The world stands at a very critical juncture because the Pakistan elections are set to
02:04 rewrite the history of several things in the world.
02:13 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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