PLEA CHALLENGING HAFIZ SAEED’S ARREST

PLEA CHALLENGING HAFIZ SAEED’S ARREST

GARVIT  TRIPATHI 

BACKGROUND

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is a Pakistani Islamist militant, who is a co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and chief of jama’at-ud-da’wah, operating mainly from Pakistan. In April 2012, the united states announced a bounty of $10 million on Saeed for his alleged role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 164 civilians. On July 17, Hafiz Saeed, a UN-designated global terrorist, was arrested in connection with the terrorist financing case while on his way from Lahore to Gujranwala. Plea challenging Hafiz Saeed's arrest by Punjab government of Pakistan.

CURRENT ISSUE (Plea challenging Hafiz Saeed's arrest)

Lahore HC issued a notice to the Punjab government and counter-terrorism department to file a reply by October 28 on the petition of Mumbai attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed challenging his arrest in a terrorism financing case.

A Lahore HC two-member bench headed by Justice Mohammad Qasim Khan held the hearing of Saeed and others petition. The court issued a notice to the Punjab government and CTD of Punjab police to file a reply by October 28 on the issue, a court official told PTI after the hearing.

Representing the Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief advocate A K Dogar said; Saeed and other  67 nominated in the terror financing FIRs are not terrorist. Saeed has no link with Lashkar-e-taiba to AL-Qaeda. The properties allegedly owned by him are in fact belong to seminaries.

He prayed the court to quash all 23 FIRs related to terror financing against Saeed and others. The CTD had registered 23 FIRs against the petitioners on the charges of terror financing in different cities of Punjab province and arrested Saeed on July 17.

    The cases have been registered in Lahore, Gujranwala and Multan for collection of funds for terrorism financing through assets/properties made and held in the names of Trusts/ Non-Profit Organisations (NPO) including Al-Anfaal Trust, Dawatul Irshad Trust, Muaz Bin Jabal Trust, etc.

The CTD said investigation launched into financing matters of proscribed organisations -- JuD and LeT -- in connection with the implementation of UN Sanctions against these Designated Entities & Persons as directed by NSC (National Security Committee) in its meeting of January 1, 2019, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan for implementing National Action Plan.

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CONCLUSION

"These suspects made assets from funds of terrorism financing. They held and used these assets to raise more funds for further terrorism financing. Hence, they committed multiple offences of terrorism financing and money laundering under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. They will be prosecuted in ATCs (Anti Terrorism Courts) for the commission of these offences," the CTD said. Last week, the LHC allowed transferring of Saeed's case from anti-terrorism court Gujranwala district of Punjab to Lahore’s court on the ground that there is a 'threat to his life' while transporting him there. Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which was responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. He was listed under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008. The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice.

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