Arif Ali—AFP
Jamaaud Dawa founder formally charged over terror financing following arrest in July
An Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore on Wednesday indicted Hafiz Saeed for offenses linked to terror financing under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
The chief of the banned Jamaatud Dawa, accused of masterminding the Mumbai attacks that left over 150 people dead in 2008, was formally charged alongside several other leaders of the organization in a case registered by the Counterterrorism Department.
Saeed—declared a global terrorist by the U.S. and U.N., and who has a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head—was taken into custody in July following a raid by counterterrorism forces in Gujranwala. “Hafiz Saeed was going to Gujranwala to apply for bail in another case when he was arrested,” said a security official on condition of anonymity at the time.
The CTD, which registered cases against the JuD in five cities of Punjab province, declared in July that the organization was financing terrorism from the funds it collected through various non-profit organizations and trusts. These non-profit organizations were banned in April due to their links to JuD.
Saeed’s indictment follows increasing pressure on Pakistan by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)—an anti-money-laundering monitor based in Paris—to act against terror financing. FATF is set to rule on Pakistan’s status—it is currently on the organization’s grey list, a mere step above being blacklisted—in February.