Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi said he has become more moderate and distanced himself from his previous anti-Shia rhetoric after winning a regional assembly seat.
Jhangvi's December election to the Punjab provincial assembly caused a stir in due to fears his political ascent would increase sectarian divides in Jhang, a dusty town with a history of violence between its resident Shia and Sunni communities.
The 29-year-old is also on a list of people with suspected ties to militant groups. Jhangvi's assassinated father, Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, was a fierce anti-Shia cleric who founded the now proscribed Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan. He was killed in 1990.