Pakistan restores bank accounts of Hafiz Saeed, others

THE BANK ACCOUNTS WERE RESTORED AFTER FORMAL APPROVAL OF THE SANCTIONS COMMITTEE OF THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has restored the bank accounts of top five leaders of defunct Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), including Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, a local newspaper reported on Sunday.

The restoration of bank accounts has taken place following formal approval of the Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council, The News daily reported.

Abdul Salam Bhuttavi, Haji M Ashraf, Yahya Mujahid and Zafar Iqbal, who are all listed as terrorists by the UNSC, have had their accounts restored.

They are all currently facing sentences ranging up to five years in a Lahore jail for terror financing cases filed against them by the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department.

The paper quoted sources as claiming that each one of the leaders of the now-defunct JuD had appealed to the United Nations for restoring their bank accounts so that they could run their family affairs.

“Initially we did not want to file an appeal but we were advised to file it as it was difficult for our leaders to run their affairs. Not only this, it would have also raised questions about how our leaders are running their families so we approached the authorities as it was in our favour...This is legal and with the approval of the United Nations,” said one member of the organisation who requesting anonymity.

These leaders in their request to the government of Pakistan had also mentioned their financial income and sources of earning. The details were then forwarded to the UNSC along their bank account numbers and other related details, the report said.