Pak says no fresh order issued on Saeed's movements

Islamabad, Lahore: Pakistani authorities on Tuesday said no fresh order has been issued to ban militant groups working under new names or to impose curbs on foreign travel by individuals like Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, though action will be taken only if evidence is found against them.

Responding to local media reports that 23 militant groups operating under new names have been banned, Law Minister of Punjab province Rana Sanaullah, Lahore police chief Muhammad Aslam Tareen and sources in Islamabad said no notification has been issued with regard to the outlawed organisations or individuals like Saeed.

"The Punjab government has not issued any new notification banning any proscribed organisation that is working under a new name. They are already banned," Sanaullah said.

Authorities in Punjab were "planning to crack down on militants if they are related to any banned organisation," he said. This crackdown will be a "continuous process in the nature of a search operation," Sanaullah added.

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"The persons who are carrying out these incidents of suicidal bombing are (hiding) in different cities... So the police is now pursuing them and we are also probing the role of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah. And if any evidence will be found, we will arrest those people," he said.

Sources in Islamabad told PTI that no fresh notification has been issued to bar Hafiz Saeed, blamed by India for masterminding the Mumbai attacks, from travelling abroad.

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Saeed's name was included in the Exit Control List, a list of persons barred from leaving Pakistan, by the
Interior Ministry on December 11, 2008 after the UN Security Council designated the JuD chief as a terrorist individual subject to sanctions like a travel ban and an asset freeze.

Saeed had not been removed from the Exit Control List since then though he was freed from house arrest on the orders of the Lahore High Court last year, the sources said.

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Law Minister Sanaullah made it clear that the provincial government did not have the powers to ban any group and such a step could only be taken by the federal government.

He also contended that there were no militant camps or "no go" areas controlled by extremists within Punjab province.

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Police chief Tareen said his force had not received any specific directions from provincial authorities to take action against militant or extremist groups that had changed their names after being banned.

He said steps had already been taken to ban the groups created after outlawed organisations changed their names.

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"The police have directions to launch a crackdown on suspicious elements, but not against any particular group," Tareen told PTI.

The police will take action against all militants, he added.

His remarks came amid reports that Punjab government had banned 23 militant organisations operating under new names after having been outlawed.

Citing the provincial home department, 'Dawn' daily also said that Saeed and his two associates had been barred from travelling abroad, with their accounts frozen and that they would not be able to get arms licences.

Despite the restrictions placed on Saeed long time back, the JuD has not officially been banned by the federal government under the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The Lashker-e-Toiba, also founded by Saeed, was banned during the tenure of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

BBC Urdu had quoted unnamed sources as saying that the Home Department of Punjab has formed special task forces in several districts to take action against 17 radical groups, including the LeT, JuD and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

There was no official word on this development.