Pakistan's hypocrisy exposed again: Shehbaz Sharif's aide visits political wing of Hafiz Saeed's banned outfit

NEW DELHI: Pakistan's duplicity on terrorism was laid bare once again after a minister in prime minister Shehbaz Sharif's government paid a visit to the political wing of Hafiz Saeed ’s banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), the outfit responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks .

Talal Chaudhry , minister of state for interior and a close aide of Shehbaz Sharif, visited the Faisalabad office of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), widely recognised as the political front of Hafiz Saeed's JuD, and held meetings with its leaders on Thursday, news agency PTI reported. The visit, described locally as an attempt to "build political consensus," has sparked outrage for what appears to be official patronage of a proscribed terror-linked organisation.

Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is currently serving time in Lahore jail after multiple convictions in terror-financing cases.

In a statement released after the visit, the PMML said Chaudhry and party leaders discussed "national unity" and "political stability," underscoring the importance of "continuity of democratic processes." The meeting, held under the guise of promoting harmony, effectively showcased how Pakistan’s political establishment continues to normalise banned extremist outfits.

This marks the first visit by a federal minister to the PMML office in recent years, further blurring the line between Pakistan's political class and its radical organisations. Earlier, Punjab assembly speaker Malik Ahmad Khan had attended a PMML rally in Kasur, where he openly praised Saeed, another indication of how terror-linked figures are courted by the ruling elite.

Observers say the timing is significant. The PMML’s resurgence has coincided with renewed tensions with India, especially after the Pahalgam terror attack, with the group reportedly operating freely "under government umbrella."