THE run-up to elections usually produces some strange bedfellows who come together out of political expediency. Sometimes, however, a new iteration of an old entity emerges on the electoral landscape. Enter the Milli Muslim League, a vehicle whereby the Jamaatud Dawa plans to venture into mainstream politics. Its formation was announced on Monday by JuD and MML representatives who pledged to implement the ideology of Pakistan in accordance with the 1973 Constitution and the vision of the Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal. Defining their objectives for the country, the MML president hit all the expected talking points: corruption of the political leadership, deliberate fanning of sectarian and ethnic tensions, the country’s direction towards liberalism and secularism, etc. He also touched upon the work being carried out by the JuD’s charitable arm.

According to the law, any group or association of people has the right to form a political party. In fact, a democratic system gains vitality when the electorate has a number of options to choose from. However, a political party launched by the JuD comes with a considerable degree of baggage, a questionable pedigree of sorts. For the JuD is on the government watch list under Schedule II of the Anti Terrorism Act, and its own predecessor, the Lashkar-e-Taiba — now banned — is associated with jihadist adventurism across the border, including operations such as the Mumbai attacks in 2008. It should also be noted that the LeT was an obdurate opponent of democracy, deeming it incompatible with Islam, and Monday’s meeting with the press also indicated MML’s ambivalence about the Constitution. For all these reasons, even if one disregards the laudatory references to LeT chief Hafiz Saeed — notwithstanding his omission from the new party’s leadership — on the same occasion, the MML should be emphatic in its repudiation of militancy. There are several examples globally of former militant outfits evolving into political entities, such as the Irish Republican Army: if the JuD indeed wants a change in direction, it is to be welcomed.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2017