Political offshoot of Hafiz Saeed's banned JuD holds anti-India rally in Lahore

Lahore: Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), the political offshoot of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) of the Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, held an anti-India rally in Lahore and demanded his immediate release from jail.

The PMML became active across the country and launched several protest rallies against India following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Ties between India and Pakistan plummeted following the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.

India has announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operation land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties following the terror attack.

On Sunday, the PMML held a rally -- 'Kissan march' -- in Lahore to protest against India's decisions.

The PMML supporters started the rally on tractors and motorcycles on Lahore's Mall Road, where the government has placed a ban on public gatherings. However, the Maryam Nawaz government of Punjab facilitated the PMML rally, which was led by PMML Vice President and Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed.

The protesters held placards and banners with slogans denouncing Indian actions and expressing unwavering support for the Pakistan Army.

"We will not remain silent in the face of violation of the Indus Waters Treaty," PMML President Khalid Masood Sindhu said while addressing the crowd.

He called Kashmir the "jugular vein" of Pakistan and pledged to support efforts to "liberate" the region.

The PMML leaders also demanded the release of Hafiz Saeed.

Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, has been sentenced for multiple years by Pakistan's anti-terrorism courts in several cases of financing terrorism and has been imprisoned in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019. However, some reports suggest that he has been in a "safe house".