Islamabad: Pakistan’s Olympic gold medalist has sparked controversy after meeting a person called Haris Dar, who is connected to the outlaw group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Social media users shared a video of the famous javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem posing with Haris Dar, a Milli Muslim League (MML) member and the political face of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JUD) in Pakistan.
Pictures of Haris Dar sitting comfortably with Arshad Nadeem at his village in Mian Chanu in Pakistan’s Punjab have surfaced.
According to informed sources, Haris Dar is a well-known political figure in the community who came to congratulate Arshad Nadeem on his accomplishment.
But the images of Haris Dar sitting next to Arshad Nadeem have caused quite a stir on social media, with many raising worries and queries about the existence of banned groups and individuals hiding under various political guises.
It is important to remember that Haris Dar is listed as one of the “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” on the US Treasury Department’s list of prohibited individuals.
The United States enlisted his name in 2018 due to his involvement with the outlawed group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The inclusion of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) on the United Nations’ list of terrorist organisations has increased the controversy surrounding Haris Dar.
Following the decision by the Pakistani government to prosecute Hafiz Saeed and all of his affiliated organisations functioning within the country, the Milli Muslim League (MML) was established as a political umbrella organisation to offer political protection, sanctuary, and visibility to several JUD operatives.
The MML was established in 2017 and participated in the elections of 2018 and 2024.
Haris Dar has been a prominent member of MML and currently holds the position of Joint Secretary.
Hafiz Saeed, the founder of JUD and LeT and architect of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, is the political arm of MML.
“Haris Dar may have been allegedly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba. But today, he is a political representative of a political party — Milli Muslim League (MML) — who had come to congratulate Arshad Nadeem. Milli Muslim League is a registered political party in Pakistan. Like all others visiting Arshad Nadeem, members of MML have all the right to do the same,” said political analyst Adnan Shaukat.
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–IANS
