Hafiz Saeed summoned for closing statements in terror financing cases in Pakistan

A Pakistan anti-terrorism court (ATC) has summoned Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), to record his closing statements on Friday in two terror financing cases against him.

Trials of both the cases against the JuD leader wrapped up on Thursday. The cases, heard by ATC judge Malik Arshad Bhutt, were registered by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) over charges of accumulating illegal funding, reports Dawn news.

On December 11, 2019, Saeed and four other JuD leaders were indicted by the court, six months after they were booked for offences pertaining to terror financing.

The JuD leaders have denied the allegations against them as being baseless and a result of international pressure on the Pakistan government.

They claimed that they have been charged in the cases by wrongly attributing them as leaders of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

On July 3, 2019, the top 13 leaders of the JuD were booked in nearly two dozen cases pertaining to terror financing and money laundering.

The CTD, which registered the cases in five cities of Punjab province, declared that the JuD was financing terrorism from the massive funds collected through non-profit organisations and trusts, including Al-Anfaal Trust, Dawatul Irshad Trust and Muaz Bin Jabal Trust.

These non-profit organisations were banned in April as the CTD, during detailed investigations, found that they had links with the JuD and its top leadership.

Subsequently, on July 17, 2019, Saeed was arrested from Gujranwala on charges of terror financing by the Punjab CTD.

He was sent to prison on judicial remand after the CTD presented him before a Gujranwala ATC.

Source: Khaleej Times