Pakistan on Thursday banned Hafiz Saeed-led Jamat-ud-Dawa and its charity wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, Dawn reported. The country’s National Security Team took the decision at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The committee was discussing matters related to national security following last week’s terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, which killed 40 Indian security forces personnel. Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the strike, which has led to a strain in ties between the two countries.
The panel also decided to increase anti-terrorism operations. The Interior Ministry had earlier decided to keep the two organisations on a watch list.
In February 2018, Mamnoon Hussain, who was president at the time, had promulgated an ordinance to ban outfits that the United Nations has designated as terrorist organisations. The United States too has labelled them “terrorist fronts” for the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. India has accused Saeed of planning the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai in which 160 people were killed.
The ordinance amended the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 and enables authorities to freeze the assets of 27 such outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The two organisations, however, were not included on the banned list after the presidential ordinance lapsed.
The development comes after India accused Pakistan of not doing enough to crack down on terror outfits operating on it territory.
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