New Delhi: Anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has sentenced the co-founder of Lashar-e-Taiba Hafiz Saeed He was jailed for 31 years after being convicted on two separate counts of terror financing. Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, is a UN designated terrorist and one of India’s most wanted.
On Friday, Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Ejaz Ahmed Bhuttar sentenced Saeed to 32 years in jail in two FIRs registered by the Anti-Terrorism Department of Punjab Police, a court official said.
They said they were sentenced to 15.5 years and 16.5 years respectively.
Following his arrest, the Pakistani government confiscated an extensive network of mosques, schools, madrasas and charities and other properties in Saeed’s country.
Earlier, the 70-year-old hardline cleric has already been sentenced to 36 years in prison in five such cases. A total of 68 years of imprisonment would run together, meaning he could actually be behind bars for a much shorter period.
Saeed is a UN-designated terrorist and carries a $10 million bounty on his head, which was announced by the US. However it is believed that he is allowed to carry out his activities in Pakistan freely even from inside the prison.
His organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which is now banned, was involved in collecting funds for terror-related activities under the guise of philanthropy.
Global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has been instrumental in motivating Pakistan to act against terrorists roaming freely in Pakistan and to use its territory to carry out attacks in India.
Pakistan has been on the ‘Grey List’ of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) since June 2018 for failing to stop money laundering that has led to terror financing, and given an action plan to complete it by October 2019. Went.
Since then, the country has remained on that list due to its failure to comply with FATF orders.
Pakistan has so far avoided being included in the blacklist with the help of close allies like China, Turkey and Malaysia.
The FATF is an intergovernmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
(with inputs from agencies)
On Friday, Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Ejaz Ahmed Bhuttar sentenced Saeed to 32 years in jail in two FIRs registered by the Anti-Terrorism Department of Punjab Police, a court official said.
They said they were sentenced to 15.5 years and 16.5 years respectively.
Following his arrest, the Pakistani government confiscated an extensive network of mosques, schools, madrasas and charities and other properties in Saeed’s country.
Earlier, the 70-year-old hardline cleric has already been sentenced to 36 years in prison in five such cases. A total of 68 years of imprisonment would run together, meaning he could actually be behind bars for a much shorter period.
Saeed is a UN-designated terrorist and carries a $10 million bounty on his head, which was announced by the US. However it is believed that he is allowed to carry out his activities in Pakistan freely even from inside the prison.
His organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which is now banned, was involved in collecting funds for terror-related activities under the guise of philanthropy.
Global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has been instrumental in motivating Pakistan to act against terrorists roaming freely in Pakistan and to use its territory to carry out attacks in India.
Pakistan has been on the ‘Grey List’ of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) since June 2018 for failing to stop money laundering that has led to terror financing, and given an action plan to complete it by October 2019. Went.
Since then, the country has remained on that list due to its failure to comply with FATF orders.
Pakistan has so far avoided being included in the blacklist with the help of close allies like China, Turkey and Malaysia.
The FATF is an intergovernmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.
(with inputs from agencies)