JUD, FIF allowed to do ‘welfare work’
The ruling comes at a time when Pakistan is facing intense pressure from the US to crack down on terror groups
ISLAMABAD : Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the Lahore high court’s order allowing Jamaat-ud-dawah (JUD) and its affiliate Falah-e-insaniat Foundation (FIF) to continue their “welfare activities” while a case against the groups is being heard.
A two-judge bench of the apex court also rejected the interior ministry’s appeal against the high court’s interim order. The high court had issued its order after JUD chief Hafiz Saeed submitted a petition against government sanctions on the groups earlier this year.
The high court issued an order in April allowing JUD and FIF to continue their activities until a final judgment in the case.
As it dismissed the interior ministry’s application, the Supreme Court noted the federal government is already involved in the proceedings in the high court. The ruling comes at a time when Pakistan is facing intense pressure from the US to crack down on terror groups operating from its soil, including JUD and the Haqqani Network.
The interior ministry had earlier contended the high court’s interim order was creating a hindrance for Pakistan in complying with international and domestic legal requirements. It argued that if the high court’s order remained operational, it could have severe implications for Pakistan.
In February, the president had promulgated an ordinance amending the Anti-terrorism Act of 1997 to proscribe terrorist individuals and organisations that have already been listed by the UN Security Council. The move was part of efforts to crack down on JUD and FIF due to pressure from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The ordinance amended provisions of the Anti-terrorism Act that lay down parameters for banning groups and individuals. The provisions now include a sub-section whereby individuals and organisations “listed under the United Nations (Security Council) Act, 1948” are included ex-parte among banned entities.
Despite these actions, a FATF meeting in Paris decided to put Pakistan on the “grey list” from June for not doing enough to counter terror financing. Saeed has been declared a global terrorist by the US and carries a $10 million bounty on his head. JUD and FIF have been proscribed by the US and UN.
Reports earlier this year said properties of JUD and FIF in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, GilgitBaltistan and Punjab were taken over by authorities. Saeed and his aides challenged the presidential ordinance and seizure of properties in court.
Saeed’s petition said Pakistan’s sovereignty had been jeopardized by the ordinance.