Pakistan plans takeover of Islamist leader's charities

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Pakistan's government is reportedly trying to take down Islamist leader Hafiz Saeed by seizing his charities. The US says the organisations are a 'terrorist front' for the group blamed for the Mumbai attacks.
Islamist leader Hafiz Saeed addressing a rally in Lahore, Pakistan, last month. Saeed has been designated a terrorist by Washington.
Islamist leader Hafiz Saeed addressing a rally in Lahore, Pakistan, last month. Saeed has been designated a terrorist by Washington. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

ISLAMABAD • Pakistan plans to seize control of charities and financial assets linked to Islamist leader Hafiz Saeed, who has been designated a terrorist by Washington, according to officials and documents seen by Reuters.

The civilian government in Pakistan detailed its plans in a secret order to various provincial and federal government departments on Dec 19, said three officials who attended one of several meetings discussing the crackdown.

Marked "secret", the document from the Finance Ministry directed law enforcement and governments in Pakistan's five provinces to submit an action plan by Dec 28 for a "takeover" of Saeed's two charities, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF).

The United States has labelled both as "terrorist fronts" for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group Saeed founded in 1987 and which the US and India blame for the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed 166.

Saeed has denied involvement in the Mumbai attacks and a Pakistani court saw insufficient evidence to convict him.

The document, which refers to "Financial Action Task Force (FATF) issues", names only Saeed's two charities and "actions to be taken" against them.

The FATF, a world body that combats money laundering and terrorist financing, has warned Pakistan it faces inclusion on a watch list for failing to crack down on financing terrorism.

Asked about a crackdown on JuD and FIF, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who co-chaired one of the meetings on the plan, said he has ordered the authorities "to choke the fundraising of all proscribed outfits in Pakistan".

In a reply to Reuters, he said Pakistan was not acting under US pressure, adding: "We're working as a responsible nation to fulfil our obligations to our people and international community."

Spokesmen for the JuD and FIF said they could not comment until they receive official notifications of the government's plans.

Saeed, who could not be reached for comment, has frequently denied having ties to militants and says his charitable organisations have no terrorism ties, adding that he promotes an Islamic-oriented government through doing good works.

If the government's plan is carried out, it would mark the first time that Pakistan has made a major move against Saeed's network, which includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house as well as ambulance services.

The JuD and FIF have about 50,000 volunteers and hundreds of paid workers, officials said.

The Dec 19 document gave few details about how the state would take over Saeed's charities, pending the plans submitted from the provincial governments.

It did say it would involve government entities taking over ambulance services and accounting for other vehicles used by the charities.

It also says law enforcement agencies will coordinate with Pakistan's intelligence agencies to identify the assets of the two charities and examine how they raise money.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 02, 2018, with the headline Pakistan plans takeover of Islamist leader's charities. Subscribe