Treated to a hero's welcome in Pakistan, Olympic gold medalist Arshad Nadeem has landed himself at the heart of a controversy, after he was found interacting with an individual related to banned Lashkar-e-Taiba. Videos have surfaced on social media in which the gold-winning champion javelin thrower, Nadeem, from the Paris Olympics, is shown attending some moments with Haris Dar. He is a person connected to MML, reportedly the political front for the JUD and LeT in Pakistan.
In the video, Haris Dar can be seen sitting next to Arshad Nadeem in his hometown of Mian Channu, Punjab. Sources from the area claim he was a significant political figure who had come to provide his congratulations to Nadeem on his outstanding performance.
A picture of Dar with Nadeem went viral on social media, and questions were being asked whether banned organizations and their associates working under different political umbrellas were involved.
It is on record that Haris Dar was listed by the US Treasury Department as a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' for dealings with Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to the United Nations as a terrorist group. Dar has been placed on this list in 2018 for his active role in LeT.
In 2017, a political party Mill Muslim League was formed to undertake the political wing activities of JUD with active support and participation from many JUD operatives following the course of actions against Hafiz Saeed and related organizations by the Pakistan government. It was actively involved in the elections in the year 2018 and contested the polls in 2024.
Presently, Haris Dar serves as the Joint Secretary of MML and remains an active member of the party. Basically, MML is a political front for JUD and LeT, whose founder is the same person behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks: Hafiz Saeed.
Political analyst Adnan Shaukat reacted, "Haris Dar may have been allegedly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba. But today, he happens to be a political representative of a political party—Milli Muslim League—who had come to congratulate Arshad Nadeem. Milli Muslim League is a registered political party in Pakistan, and like all others visiting Arshad Nadeem, MML members have every right to do the same."
