Hafiz Saeed arrested in Lahore, sent to judicial custody: Report
Agencies
Jamatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was arrested on Wednesday on his way from Lahore to Gujranwala
Reuters quoted a JuD spokesperson as saying that counter-terrorism officials arrested Saeed while he was on his way to Gujranwala. The charges he faces are still unknown but appear to be linked to terrorism financing, the spokesperson added.
On July 3, top 13 leaders of the banned JuD, including Saeed and Naib Emir Abdul Rehman Makki, were booked in nearly two dozen cases for terror financing and money laundering under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
The CTD, which registered the cases in five cities of Punjab, 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, Muaz Bin Jabal Trust, etc.
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, accused of financing terrorism by building huge assets/properties from the collected funds in Pakistan.
On Monday, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore had granted pre-arrest bail to the JuD chief and three others in a case pertaining to the outfit’s alleged illegal use of land for its seminary, against surety bonds of Rs50,000 each.
Also on Monday, a Lahore High Court division bench sought replies from the Ministry of Interior, Punjab home department and CTD on a petition of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and his seven aides challenging an FIR carrying charge of terror financing.
