Pakistan’s electoral commission on Wednesday barred from contesting elections a new political party that is backed by a radical Islamist with a $10 million US bounty on his head, a government official said. Haroon Khan, a spokesman for the commission, said a four-man panel rejected the registration of Milli Muslim League (MML) as an official political party. Saeed, currently under house arrest, heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Islamict charity, which Washington says is a front for LeT. Pakistan’s reluctance to press charges against him has been a sore point in relations with Washington and India over the past decade. ‘Patriotic forces’Saifullah Khalid, the head of MML, said his party would challenge the decision.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 12, 2017 13:07 UTC