pakistan plans takeover of charities run by hafiz saeed
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today
Egypt Today, egypt today
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today

Pakistan plans takeover of charities run by Hafiz Saeed

Egypt Today, egypt today

Egypt Today, egypt today Pakistan plans takeover of charities run by Hafiz Saeed

Pakistan's government plans to seize control of charities.
Islamabad - Egypt Today

Pakistan's government plans to seize control of charities and financial assets linked to Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, who Washington has designated a terrorist, according to officials and documents reviewed by Reuters.

Pakistan's civilian government detailed its plans in a secret order to various provincial and federal government departments on December 19, three officials who attended one of several high-level meeting discussing the crackdown told Reuters.

Marked "secret", a December 19 document from the finance ministry directed law enforcement and governments in Pakistan's five provinces to submit an action plan by December 28 for a "takeover" of Saeed's two charities, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation.

The United States has labelled JuD and FIF "terrorist fronts" for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a group Saeed founded in 1987 and which Washington and India blame for the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people. Saeed has repeatedly denied involvement in the Mumbai attacks and a Pakistani court saw insufficient evidence to convict him. The LeT could not be reached for comment.

 

The December 19th document, which refers to "Financial Action Task Force (FATF) issues", names only Saeed's two charities and "actions to be taken" against them.

The FATF, which is an international body that combats money laundering and terrorist financing, has warned Pakistan it faces inclusion on a watch list for failing to crack down on financing terrorism.

Asked about a crackdown on JuD and FIF, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who co-chaired one of the meetings on the plan, responded only generally, saying he has ordered authorities "to choke the fundraising of all proscribed outfits in Pakistan".

In a written reply to Reuters, he also said Pakistan wasn't taking action under U.S. pressure. "We're not pleasing anyone. We're working as a responsible nation to fulfil our obligations to our people and international community."

Spokesmen for the JuD and FIF both said they could not comment until they receive official notifications of the government's plans. "We don’t have any intimation about any crackdown so far," FIF spokesman Salman Shahid said.

"No one has asked us about our work or assets." Saeed could not be reached for comment. He has frequently denied having ties to militants and says the charitable organisations he founded and controls have no terrorism ties. He says he promotes an Islamic-oriented government through doing good works.

If the government follows through with the plan, it would mark the first time Pakistan has made a major move against Saeed's network, which includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services.

The JuD and FIF alone have about 50,000 volunteers and hundreds of other paid workers, according to two counter-terrorism officials. Participants at the meeting raised the possibility that the government's failure to act against the charities could lead to U.N. sanctions, one of the three officials said.

A U.N. Security Council team is due to visit Pakistan in late January to review progress against U.N.-designated "terrorist" groups. "Any adverse comments or action suggested by the team can have far-reaching implications for Pakistan," the official said.

The December 19th document gave few details about how the state would take over Saeed's charities, pending the plans submitted from the provincial governments. It did say it would involve government entities taking over ambulance services and accounting for other vehicles used by the charities.

It says law enforcement agencies will coordinate with Pakistan's intelligence agencies to identify the assets of the two charities and examine how they raise money. The document also directs that the name of JuD's 200-acre headquarters, Markaz-e-Taiba, near the eastern city of Lahore be changed to something else "to make it known that the Government of "Punjab (province) solely manages and operates the Markaz(headquarters)".

The move to seize the charities could spark some concern from the powerful military, which has proposed plans to steer Saeed and the JuD into mainstream politics. The military did not respond to a request for comment.

In August, JuD officials formed a new political party, the Milli Muslim League, and backed candidates who fared relatively strongly in two key parliamentary by-elections. Washington, which has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's conviction over the Mumbai attacks, warned Islamabad of repercussions after a Pakistani court in late November released him from house arrest. Punjab's provincial government had put Saeed under house arrest for 10 months this year for violating anti-terrorism laws.

Source:Timesofoman

egypttoday
egypttoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

pakistan plans takeover of charities run by hafiz saeed pakistan plans takeover of charities run by hafiz saeed



GMT 16:25 2018 Monday ,10 September

Philippines on alert for incoming typhoon

GMT 13:15 2017 Friday ,18 August

UN Secretary General appoints Horst Köhler

GMT 13:10 2017 Wednesday ,22 March

Kuwait's Arab reconciliatory role highlighted

GMT 10:09 2011 Friday ,10 June

Pakistan bus crash kills 12 children

GMT 07:13 2017 Monday ,23 October

Maryam reveals development of tourism

GMT 09:53 2012 Monday ,25 June

Morsi victory celebrated from Yemen to Gaza

GMT 16:31 2018 Friday ,19 October

UNHCR delegation discuss Syrian refugees return

GMT 10:08 2015 Tuesday ,03 March

Delhi rapist blames victim for being out at night

GMT 12:54 2017 Saturday ,26 August

Trump declares disaster for Texas

GMT 21:27 2016 Monday ,19 September

Modernity Meets Traditional Architecture

GMT 19:10 2011 Tuesday ,10 May

EasyJet losses widen on soaring fuel costs

GMT 05:30 2017 Monday ,17 April

Aramco’s refinery plans set to sweeten IPO

GMT 11:50 2011 Saturday ,20 August

Arsene Wenger in UEFA rage

GMT 11:55 2017 Thursday ,02 February

Egypt’s minister: They focus on financial steadiness

GMT 09:26 2013 Thursday ,23 May

Blast in south Pakistan kills 12, wounds 21
 
 Egypt Today Facebook,egypt today facebook  Egypt Today Twitter,egypt today twitter Egypt Today Rss,egypt today rss  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
egypttoday, Egypttoday, Egypttoday