US welcomes indictment of four JuD leaders

Verdict is a positive step towards meeting international obligations to counter terror financing, says US state dept

ISLAMABAD: The US State Department has welcomed the indictment of four leaders of the Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), a banned outfit, on charges of terror financing.

On Tuesday, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore had indicted Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki and three other leaders of JuD. Makki and other suspects had pleaded not guilty and decided to face the trial.

"Welcome Pakistan's indictment on June 9 of 4 leaders from Jamaat ud Dawa, a front organization of the LeT terrorist group," the US Department for South and Central Asian Affairs said in a tweet from its official handle.

The tweet went on to say that the verdict is a positive step towards meeting international obligations to counter terrorist financing and making the country free of terrorist outfits "in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision".

Welcome Pakistan's indictment on June 9 of 4 leaders from Jamaat ud Dawa, a front organization of the LeT terrorist group. This is a positive step in meeting intl obligations to counter terrorist financing & consistent w/ PM Khan's vision of a Pakistan free of terrorist entities.

— State_SCA (@State_SCA) June 11, 2020

Earlier this year, an anti-terrorism court had sentenced JuD chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed to five-and-a-half years in prison in two cases after finding him guilty of terror financing and affiliation with an outlawed group.

In July last year, 13 top leaders of the banned organisation, including its chief Hafiz Saeed and deputy Makki, were booked in nearly two dozen cases of terror financing and money laundering under the ATA.

The government had placed the JuD in its list of banned outfits in February last year and decided to launch a crackdown on the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), which was banned in 2002 by then military ruler General Pervez Musharraf.

The decision was made to take action against the individuals and organisations banned by United Nations Security Council. The LeT too is among the list of proscribed outfits since 2002.