Covering bloody hands with ballot ink: India on Hafiz Saeed entering politics

New Delhi: Following reports that Hafiz Saeed is looking to launch his own political party in Pakistan, India on Friday said that Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and the mastermind of Mumbai terrorist attack is trying to hide his blood stained hands behind ballot ink.

Speaking about reports of Saeed deciding to launch his own political party in Pakistan by renaming his terror outfit JuD as Milli Muslim League Pakistan, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay on Friday said, "regarding the aspect of political parties it appears that a person whose hand is stained with blood of innocent lives is perhaps both ironical and consorting to notice that such an individual is perhaps wanting to hide his blood stained hands behind the ballot ink."

"The person who has traded in bullets to take innocent lives is trying to hide behind the ballot that's a matter of concern," he added.

Emphasizing that Saeed is an internationally designated terrorist under the UN 1267 provisions, Baglay said that his organisation, whether it is Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) or JuD, is one of the same thing, and they have been carrying out terrorist activities not only against India but also against others in the region.

He said Saeed is a matter of concern not only for India but the entire region and beyond.

"We hear from media reports that he is under some sort of house arrest in Pakistan but it is very well known that his organisation and his other collegeus have enjoyed freedom in Pakistan to conduct terrorist activities against India and others," he said.

Baglay further said that it is Pakistan's obligation to make sure that such individuals and organisations are not enjoying freedom to conduct terrorist activities.

He added that it is also Pakistan's international obligation to enforce international sanctions on these individuals and organisations.

According to reports, Saeed would be registering his political party with the Election Commission of Pakistan.

He is likely to launch his political outfit on Pakistan's Independence Day at a function in Lahore.

This is being seen as a major happening as Pakistan recently elected its new Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court over the Panama Papers scandal.

He is also said to have close relations with the Pakistani Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Recently the government of Pakistan's Punjab province extended the house arrest Saeed and his four aides for 60 more days for their activities that were "detrimental to peace and security", The Express Tribune reported.

Saeed is a wanted terrorist by India and the United States for his alleged role in masterminding the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai that claimed 166 lives.

He even carries a bounty of 10 million USD (approx. Rs 66 crore) on his head for his role in the attack.

He is an internationally designated terrorist but continues to be an influential person in Pakistan's certain religious groups.

Pakistan claims to have banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), but following the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2002, it re-emerged as Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD). The United States has designated the JuD as a front for the LeT.