Pakistan army says state exploring how to integrate militant-linked Sunni groups

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Army spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor told a news conference in Islamabad the plan was aimed at developing a constructive role for them. 

Times of Ahmad | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Reuters
By Asif Shahzad | October 5, 2017

The Pakistani army on Thursday said the government was discussing ways to try to integrate militant-linked groups into the mainstream of the country’s politics.

Milli Muslim League (MML), a new militant party controlled by Islamist Hafiz Saeed, backed a candidate in the September by-election for a seat vacated by ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the eastern city of Lahore. The United States has offered a $10 million bounty for Saeed’s capture.

Reuters reported last month that the foray into politics by MML and other Islamists groups followed the integration plan. Three of Sharif’s confidants and a retired army general said it had been presented by Inter Services Intelligence to Sharif last year, but the then premier had rejected it.

Army spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor did not comment on the military’s role in any such strategy but told a news conference in Islamabad the plan was aimed at developing a constructive role for them.


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