Hafiz Saeed is the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks (Reuters)
Highlights
- Pakistan bans 72 terror groups from getting public money
- Those donating to them face 10-year jail, Rs 10 million fine
- Pakistan moves to stop charity funds from reaching wrong hands
Pakistan today warned people against donating funds to what Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed calls "charities", as they may be sent to jail for up to 10 years along with paying a heavy fine.
The move came days after US President Donald Trump in a strong statement accused Islamabad of providing "safe haven" to terrorists, despite the US giving $33 billion to Pakistan in security aid for the last 15 years.
In an advertisement published across Pakistan, the government listed 72 groups including Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), Lashkar-e-Tabia of Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammad of Masood Azhar as not eligible for receiving public donations.
Pakistan said its anti-terrorism laws as well as that of the United Nations make it a crime to donate funds to these groups which are nothing but terrorist organisations.
Individuals or groups giving funds to them may face "five to 10 years in jail or up to Rs 10 million fine or both," the warning published in major Urdu newspapers in Pakistan said.
The Pakistani government said it wants to stop the flow of money given as charity from going to the wrong hands.
The US has labelled the JuD and FIF "terrorist fronts" for the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which attacked Mumbai in November 2008, killing 166 people. Washington has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Hafiz Saeed's conviction over the Mumbai attacks.
The Pakistani government plans to seize control of so-called charities and financial assets linked to Hafiz Saeed, according to officials and documents reviewed by news agency Reuters.
The Pakistani 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 said.
The December 19 document, which refers to "Financial Action Task Force (FATF) issues", names only Hafiz Saeed's two purported charities and "actions to be taken" against them, Reuters reported.
With inputs from agencies