Hafiz Saeed's son Talha Saeed is contesting from a Lahore constituency
As Pakistan preps for the February 8 general elections, a political front backed by 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed is in the poll contest. Among its candidates is Hafiz Saeed's son and Laskhar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Talha Saeed.
Here are 5 facts on Hafiz Talha Saeed
Hafiz Talha Saeed is considered No. 2 in Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), second only to his father. Last year, the Home Ministry declared him a designated terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The notification said Talha Saeed has been actively involved in recruitment, fund collection, planning and executing attacks by LeT in India.
India has also been trying to get Talha Saeed designated as a United Nations-listed terrorist. The US has backed India on this subject, but New Delhi's repeated attempts to get Hafiz Talha designated as a terrorist with the UN have been blocked by China.
Hafiz Talha Saeed hit headlines in 2019 after a failed assassination attempt left an LeT supporter dead and seven others injured. Hafiz Talha was to speak at a religious gathering at a refrigerator store in Lahore when an explosion took place. He escaped with some injuries.
Talha Saeed has filed nomination papers to contest from Lahore's NA-122 constituency. The big name who may contest from the seat is former Pakistan Prime Minister and legendary cricketer Imran Khan, who is now in jail.
Earlier attempts by Hafiz Saeed, now in jail, to kick off his political career have not yielded much success. He had fielded candidates from his Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek party on 265 seats in the 2018 polls, but ended up with a zero score. This time, he has entered the polls with a new party named Pakistani Markazi Muslim League and is contesting all seats.
Post a comment