Circumventing the crackdown against it by Pakistani authorities, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and another organisation have rebranded themselves as the Tehreek Azadi Jammu and Kashmir. The Hafiz Saeed-headed JuD and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation will continue their activities under the new moniker, including organising events for Sunday, February 5, which is observed as “Kashmir Day” in Pakistan, PTI reported.
A week before he was placed under house arrest on January 30, Saeed had said he would launch the TAJK to “speed up the freedom of Kashmir”. The new organisation has restarted operations at donation centres and ambulance services in Lahore and other parts of the Punjab province. The group is also planing to hold a conference on Kashmir in Lahore after evening prayers on Sunday.
Local media reports said that volunteers for the network had participated in a rescue operation on Friday. A police officer said law enforcement agencies were monitoring their activities. “A measured response is needed to fulfil the international obligations of the country and deal with any fallout from protests by Saeed’s followers,” the officer told PTI.
The JuD and other outfits in Pakistan have threatened to launch countrywide protests on Sundya unless Saeed is released immediately. The Difai Council of Pakistan claimed action was taken against the 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind only to please India. Pakistan’s Federal Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir had said that an FIR will be filed against Saeed, the details of which would be released soon.
The JuD chief and 38 others were also included in Paistan’s Exit Control List, which bars them from leaving the country.
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