Banned outfit Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) has sought to enter the political sphere by launching the Milli Muslim League — a new political party — on Monday.

Saifullah Khalid, a religious scholar and longtime official of the group, is president of the newly-formed Milli Muslim League party. He told reporters in Islamabad that his party will work to make Pakistan “a real Islamic and welfare state” and that it is ready to cooperate with like-minded parties.

The United States has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of JuD's founder Hafiz Saeed. The government placed him under house arrest earlier this year.

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International powers including the US and India consider Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) to be no more than a front for Lashkar-i-Taiba (LT), the militant group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead.

But JuD denies any link to violence and within the country the organisation enjoys a high degree of popularity for the work of its charitable arm, particularly after natural disasters.