Six arrested for raising terror funds

Crackdown launched following mounting pressure from global community

Six people have been arrested for allegedly collecting funds for militant outfits Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) in Pakistan’s Punjab province, as security forces launched a crackdown on terror financing after mounting pressure from the global community.

Cases registered

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab arrested the six members of the proscribed organisations, in various parts of the province, for collecting funds for financing terrorism, a CTD spokesman said in a statement.

The CTD said those arrested were collecting funds for terror financing for the proscribed organisations — the JeM and LeJ.

“No member of any proscribed organisation is allowed to collect funds for financing terrorism and extremism under the law of land,” the CTD said in a statement.

Cases have been registered against the suspects under antiterrorism laws, for committing offences of terrorism financing.

Mohammad Zahid and Irfan Ahmad of JeM were arrested in Gujranwala, and Zafar Iqbal of JeM was held in Rawalpindi. Similarly, Mohammad Hanzala and Hamza of LeJ were arrested in Lahore while Ijaz Ahmad of the same banned organisation was caught in Multan.

Properties confiscated

Pakistan’s government has arrested more than 100 members of banned outfits including JeM chief Masoud Azhar’s son and brother and also taken control of JeM, JuD and FIF’s properties including seminaries and mosques across the country.