Hafiz Saeed-linked party sends legal notice to Maryam Nawaz
The Pakistan Markazi Muslim League wants Punjab's chief minister to withdraw within seven days her remarks calling it a banned and illegal organisation.
The Pakistan Markazi Muslim League has served a legal notice on Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz over her description of it as a "terrorist", "illegal" and "banned" organisation, demanding that she withdraw the remarks within seven days.
The notice was issued on behalf of the party's president, Khalid Masood Sandhu. According to The New Indian Express, it accuses the chief minister of making defamatory statements in a post on X and in a public speech, and asks her to delete the disputed social media content, issue an unconditional public apology and give a written undertaking that the allegations will not be repeated. It warns of proceedings in the courts if she does not comply. The Economic Times reported the notice and the demand for an apology and deletion but did not name the party president or give the deadline.
The dispute traces to the November 8 by-election in the Gujranwala National Assembly constituency NA-77. The New Indian Express reported that the PML-N candidate, Rashid Bashir Virk, took 43,365 votes against PMML candidate Ibrahim Gujjar's 30,218. The PMML rejected the result, alleged rigging, claimed its candidate had won and demanded a recount at 50 polling stations.
After the result, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari questioned how organisations declared proscribed by the state could change their names and contest elections. Maryam Nawaz said banned organisations and Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had contested the seat under new names against the PML-N.
The PMML says it is a legally registered political party that has functioned since 2022, and that calling a registered political entity a terrorist organisation without a lawful, substantiated basis damages its reputation and the democratic rights of its members and supporters. The party says it contested the 2024 general elections on the electoral symbol "Chair".
The party is widely described as the political front of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which was founded by Hafiz Saeed. Saeed is a UN-designated terrorist and has been convicted in several terror-financing cases in Pakistan. He has been held in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail since 2019, The New Indian Express reported.
The notice comes amid scrutiny of the party's political links. The New Indian Express reported that Senator Talal Chaudhry, Minister of State for Interior, visited the PMML's office in Faisalabad and praised its work, and that Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan praised Saeed at a public rally. The same report said senior Punjab government officials attended the funerals of JuD members killed in Indian strikes during the four-day India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025.
How the reports differ
The New Indian Express named the party president, Khalid Masood Sandhu, gave the seven-day deadline, and carried the NA-77 vote counts for Rashid Bashir Virk and Ibrahim Gujjar. It also reported the earlier praise for the party from Senator Talal Chaudhry and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan, and the attendance of Punjab officials at funerals of JuD members after the May 2025 conflict. The Economic Times reported only that a notice had been served seeking an apology and the removal of the social media content, and that the PMML had alleged rigging in the by-election. Both outlets described the party as linked to Hafiz Saeed.
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