Tue 20 August 2019:
The 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed challenged his arrest in terror financing cases in the Lahore High Court here on Tuesday.
The petitioners have made the Interior Ministry, the Punjab Home Department and the Counter Terrorism Department of Punjab Police respondents in the case. The court will fix a hearing of this case later.
Saeed was arrested on July 17 in a terror financing case and the antiterrorism court (ATC) in Gujrat will take it up on September 2. He is kept at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail under high security.
Saeed and others prayed to the Lahore High Court to declare that the property detailed in this petition was “dedicated for the purpose of mosques and is being used as such, therefore FIRs are without lawful authority and of no legal effect.”
“It is prayed that this learnt court be pleased to declare that none of the petitioners and pro forma respondents are linked with Let and therefore the FIRs are without lawful authority and of no legal effect,” they said.
Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the Let, which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. He was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008.
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 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 implementation of UN Sanctions against these Designated Entities and Persons as directed by NSC (National Security Committee) in its Meeting of 1 January 2019 chaired by the Prime Minister Imran Khan for implementing the National Action Plan.
“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 Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. They will be prosecuted in ATCs (Anti-Terrorism Courts) for commission of these offences,” the CTD said.
The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist since 2012.
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