Punjab Govt funded outfits on UN terror blacklist: report

Punjab provincial government has allegedly given nearly one million dollars to institutions linked to a banned charity.


Afp June 17, 2010

Punjab provincial government has allegedly given nearly one million dollars to institutions linked to a banned charity on a UN terror blacklist, a document has revealed.

It gave Rs79.7 million (936,240 dollars) to schools, a mosque, hospital and other health facilities built on a campus just north of Lahore at Muridke, said a budget document presented in the Punjab assembly this week.

Another Rs3 million (35,207 dollars) were given to schools run by Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which was put on the UN terror blacklist in December 2008 and is considered a front for the militant group blamed over the Mumbai attacks.

The Punjab government denied giving any money to Jamaat-ud-Dawa, saying it had taken control of the institutions after the charity was banned in 2008.

The revelations could raise fresh concerns about the charity just weeks after the Supreme Court quashed an appeal against the release from house arrest of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.

"These are now in control and run by the Punjab government," Pervez Rasheed, a spokesman for Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, told AFP.

"These grants were issued to run these social welfare projects including schools, hospitals and other institutions. People were benefiting from these facilities and that's why we decided to continue them. "We have no sympathies with Jamaat-ud-Dawa. If we had closed all these institutions it would have been detrimental and might have given a boost to Hafiz Saeed. So we did all this for the people of the province," said Rasheed.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa denied receiving any funds from the Punjab government.

"We have not received any grant," spokesman Yahya Mujahid told AFP. "The government has appointed an administrator and caretakers for the schools and other institutions, but the rest of the staff are the same, they are our people," the spokesman said.

One of Pakistan's biggest charities, Dawa is known for its relief work after the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir. It denies all terror accusations. Despite being banned, the charity organises public rallies and runs offices across Pakistan under the name Tanzeem Falah-e-Insaniyat (organisation for the welfare of humanity).

Saeed founded Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant faction blamed for the Mumbai attacks, but reportedly abandoned the faction when it was outlawed in Pakistan after India accused the group over the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament.

COMMENTS (2)

wazzdan | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistan in greatly influenced by Western Media.and has destroyed by these elements of US,Jewish . how can Pakistan help these peoples. it is only USA who is still helping them.All of them are out of Islam Muslims & our enemies.better understand,stupid blame
Khan Bahadur Ghaffar Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Who the Govt is making fool, every one knows what is going on, govt must stop sponsoring terrorists and stop sponsoring already banned organizations. No one needs any help from them. All money should be given to minorities to run clinics and relief effort so they come in picture and be appreciatedby the majority. Universally people those in majority are oppressing minorities all over the world. Pakistan government Govt and people are so retatred they even have the laws against minorities. For example, Ahmadis could be put in Jail or killed for saying Islamic Creed Kalima "There is no other God besides Allh and prophet Mohammad SAS is a messenger". So it proves Mullahs and Govt itself is against Allah and Mohammad SAS and trying to stop the word, thus sponsoring and participant in terrorism in Pakistan. How they expect to let Islam to spread, if Pakistan Governement decides who is Muslim who is not then Christian Majority should decide Pakistanis are Muslims or not, and if Pakistan does not agree the world has a right to wipe them out because Majority of Christians should make all the rule . It is strange that entire Pakistani public consists of most retarted people of the world they have never raised the voice against these laws. Country is controlled by Mullahs and have allready destroyed and still falling down sharply. Soon it would be like Somalia where war lords controls the country.
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