Pak exposed again: Shehbaz Sharif's aide visits office of Hafiz Saeed's outfit

Further underlining that Pakistan sponsors terrorism as a state policy, Minister Talal Chaudhry, a close aide of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Thursday gave a courtesy call to the leaders of Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political wing of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed's banned terror outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawah and met them at its office in Faisalabd.

Senator and Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, visited the PMML House in Faisalabad, about 130 km from Lahore, where he was welcomed by leaders of the political party.

The visit is being viewed as an indication of the Shehbaz government’s apparent support for Saeed’s political organisation.

Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, has been lodged in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 after being convicted in several terror financing cases.

According to a statement from the PMML, Chaudhry held extensive discussions with the party’s leadership during his visit.

The talks reportedly centered on the prevailing political landscape and key national matters, with both sides stressing the need for unity, political stability, and the preservation of democratic continuity in Pakistan.

The statement added that participants agreed all political entities should adopt a cooperative and constructive stance to promote harmony and strengthen democratic institutions in the current environment.

This marks the first visit by a federal minister to the PMML headquarters in recent years.

Previously, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan had attended a PMML rally in Kasur district, where he commended Saeed.

Following the Pakistan-India tensions after the Pahalgam terror attack in May, the PMML has been increasingly active under government patronage.

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With PTI inputs