Hafiz Saeed's Political Wing Engages in Aid Amid Punjab Floods

Lahore, September 4 (PTI) - In the wake of severe flooding that has left 3.7 million people homeless in Pakistan's Punjab over the past two weeks, the political wing of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has become active in the affected districts, working alongside the provincial government. A photograph shared with a statement released on Thursday by the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), believed to be a new front for Saeed's banned groups, shows Deputy Commissioner of Faisalabad, Captain (R) Nadeem Nasir, on a boat with PMML members visiting the flood-hit areas on Wednesday. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led provincial government did not release an official statement about Nasir's visit in coordination with the PMML team to the flood-affected regions. The PMML acts as a political arm of the outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and serves as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a group behind numerous terror attacks in India, including the horrific 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008, which resulted in 166 deaths. Hafiz Saeed is recognized as a UN-designated terrorist, and the U.S. has offered a USD 10 million reward for his capture. He was arrested in July 2019 on terror financing charges and has since been held in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail. Following Operation Sindoor, in which the Indian military targeted the LeT base at Muridke in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, three JuD activists were killed. Their funeral witnessed the attendance of senior officers from the Pakistan Army, police, and civilian administration. In the aftermath, the PMML has intensified its activities and reportedly enjoys the backing of the PML-N government, both at the federal and provincial levels. Punjab's Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Irfan Ali Kathia reported that floods have impacted approximately 3.7 million people across the region. More than 3,900 villages have been submerged over the past two weeks. The PDMA noted that the death toll stands at 46 since the flooding commenced on August 23 during the current spell. As many as 1.4 million residents and 1 million animals have been relocated to safer locations.