© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In a major blow to Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, the United Nations has rejected an appeal by the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind to remove his name from a list of banned terrorists, government sources told PTI on Thursday. This came two days after the Pakistan government formally banned the terror group and its affiliate Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.
The UN decision came after India provided detailed evidence, including “highly confidential information”, related to the JuD leader’s activities, sources told the news agency.
ALSO READ | Pakistan: Govt confiscates Hafiz Saeed’s properties in Punjab, Sindh provinces
After his terror group was banned on December 10, 2008, by the United Nations Security Council following the Mumbai attacks, Saeed had filed an appeal through Lahore-based law firm Mirza and Mirza in 2017.
Independent Ombudsperson Daniel Kipfer Fasciati, who was appointed by the UN to examine such requests, informed Saeed’s lawyer Haider Rasul Mirza that he will “continue as a listed individual”, sources said.
The Ombudsperson said that based on gathered information, the UN decided to continue with the ban as “there was sufficient information to provide a reasonable and credible basis for continuing the listing,” sources said, adding the recommendation was endorsed by the UN’s Sanctions Committee.
Saeed’s request was opposed by India as well as other countries that had originally listed him – US, UK and France, sources said.
The decision also comes at a time when UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee has received a new request to ban Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar following the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Pakistan-based JeM had claimed responsibility for the strike.
