ME NEWS BUREAU: Bowing down to the pressure piled on them by the United States and India, Pakistan have finally decided to crackdown on the charities and financial assets linked to Hafiz Saeed, who was designated as a terrorist by Washington.
Hafiz Saeed, allegedly masterminded the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, is gaining a political momentum back home recently, after he was released from the house arrest.
According to the reports revealed by the Reuters, Pakistan government issued orders to have a cross check on the charities and financial assets maintained by Saeed.
The extremist leader run two charities, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, which the United States and India blame squarely for orchestrating the background works for the gruesome 26/11 attack.
Three officials who attended one of several high-level meetings reportedly revealed the Pakistan government's 'secret order', directing the various provincial and federal government departments to crackdown on the Saeed's suspected financial links.
A document from the high-level meeting on December 19, which marked as 'secret', 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 'secret' documents which refers to the “Financial Action Task Force (FATF) issues", an international body that combats money laundering and terrorist financing, names only Saeed’s two charities and “actions to be taken” against them.
Responding to the reports revealed by the Reuters, Pakistan's Interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, who co-chaired one of the meetings on the plan, said he has ordered authorities “to choke the fundraising of all proscribed outfits in Pakistan”
The Interior minister also rejected the assumptions that Pakistan was succumbed to the pressure piled on them by the US and India due to their light-hearted approach towards Hafiz Saeed.
" Pakistan wasn’t taking action under US pressure. We’re not pleasing anyone. We’re working as a responsible nation to fulfill our obligations to our people and international community”, minister said.
Earlier, Pakistan court had released Saeed from charges accused on him for masterminding the 26/11 attack, citing lack of sufficient evidences. Meanwhile soon after releasing from the law troubles, Saeed started ground works to launch a new political party, keeping his rhetoric against India intact.
