Hafiz Saeed...

The move was primarily aimed at the JUD and FIF, which were on a “watch list” maintained by Pakistan’s interior ministry, and aimed at deflecting pressure from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, which had been approached by the US and other Western powers to put Pakistan on its “grey list” for failing to curb terror financing.

Despite the action taken by Pakistan, FATF opted to put the country on its watch list in June. Since then, FATF has finalised an action plan for Pakistan to comply with in order to be removed from the grey list by 2019. According to a list updated on September 5 by Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Authority, 66 groups have been banned in the country but JUD and FIF are not among them. The two groups linked to Saeed continue to be “under watch by the ministry of interior” under the provisions of the Anti-terrorism Act. Responding to a query from the court, Saeed’s lawyers informed the judge that the Imran Khan government, which assumed office in August,did not extend the ordinance or tabled it in Parliament to convert it into an act. Deputy attorney general Khan declined a request from Saeed’s lawyers to make a statement on behalf of the interior ministry regarding the lapse of the ordinance. He told the court that since Saeed had not named the ministry as a respondent, he could not make a statement unless the petition was amended and the interior secretary was added as a party to the case.

The judge said Saeed’s petition had became infructuous as the ordinance had lapsed. He disposed of the petition with the observation that if the government renewed the ordinance, Saeed could file another petition against it. Saeed claimed he established the JUD in 2002 and had cut off all ties with the LET. He also claimed Indian authori-