Pakistan bans Hafiz Saeed-led JuD from collecting funds; non-compliance could lead to heavy fine, says notification

Lahore: Pakistan on Monday banned Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud Dawa and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation from collecting donations, on a day when President Donald Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to the US but “lies and deceit” and providing “safe haven” to terrorists. The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) issued a notification prohibiting the collection of donations by the JuD, the front organisation of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, as well as several other such organisations named in a list of banned outfits by the UN Security Council. “The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan hereby prohibits all companies from donating cash to the entities and individuals listed under the UNSC sanctions committee’s consolidated list,” according to the notification. In addition to JuD, the list also includes LeT itself, the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), the Paasban-i-Ahle- Hadith and Pasban-i-Kashmir, among others, the Dawn said. The notification comes on a day when Trump accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but “lies and deceit” in return for $33 billion aid and said Islamabad has provided “safe haven” to terrorists. [caption id=“attachment_4283083” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Reuters[/caption] “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools,” Trump said in a strongly worded tweet. “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Trump said in his first tweet of the year. The SECP notification also warned that non-compliance with the said ruling could result in a hefty monetary fine. “The Government of Pakistan has already prescribed a penalty of up to Rs 10 million for non-compliance on the sanctions regime being implemented,” it said. In January 2017, the Pakistan government had launched a crackdown against JuD, placing Saeed under house arrest. However, Saeed was released in November after the Lahore High Court refused to extend the period of his confinement. Responding to reports that the government is planning on seizing their assets, JuD and FIF said they will take the matter to the court. “There are clear rulings of the Lahore High Court and Supreme Court that JuD is free to continue its welfare activities in Pakistan,” JuD spokesperson Yahya Mujahid said in a statement. “The government still pulls such stunts for the appeasement of India,” he claimed. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack. It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.