ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday permitted at least three candidates who are on the terror watch list of the United Nations , to contest the general elections due Wednesday.

The three candidates fielded by Allahu Akbar Tehreek (AAT), Muhammad Ashraf, Zafar Iqbal and Ehsan Ranjha, are contesting from Punjab province on the tickets of Milli Muslim League (MML), a political face of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), the proscribed terror outfits founded by the Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The MML was denied registration as a mainstream political party by the ECP, following which it fielded over 160 candidates under the banner of AAT, a least known entity but registered as a party with the ECP.

Ashraf is AAT’s candidate for the national assembly constituency in Sahiwal, while Iqbal and Ranjha are running for provincial assembly seats in Faisalabad and Mandi Bahauddin, respectively.

The ECP had taken notice of their credentials last week and summoned them in view of “Pakistan’s commitments under FATF (Financial Action Task Force)” and warned them that the matter would be decided in their absence, if they failed to appear in person.

The candidates appeared before a three-member ECP bench on Tuesday along with their counsel who argued that it was “unfair” to summon them one day before the elections.

The bench, however, ordered the candidates to submit copies of their national identity cards and passports along with a written response to the ECP. The hearing has been adjourned till August 29. The candidates have been allowed to contest the July 25 elections but will be denotified if the ECP decides against their eligibility later.

