Islamabad, February 22: The decision which should have been taken far earlier, Pakistan on Thursday imposed the ban on the Hafiz Saeed-led Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its charity arm, the Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF). Hafiz Saeed, a co-founder of the Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the mastermind behind several attacks on India including the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike, continues to roam free under the United Nations Security Council (Freezing and Seizure) Order, 2019.
This move came into effect after Pakistan mounting tension with India under international pressure Pakistan PM Imran Khan had earlier reinstated a ban on Hafiz Saeed charity organisation. The latest ban on Saeed’s outfits was announced after Pakistan Prime Minsiter Imran Khan chaired a National Security Committee meeting to discuss the recent Pulwama incident and its aftermath. A statement released after the National Security Committee meeting at the Prime Minister’s office in Islamabad said the members agreed that “the state of Pakistan is not involved in any way, means or form in the said incident” and it was “conceived, planned and executed indigenously”.
Earlier, the two outfits were kept on the watchlist of the interior ministry. It was further decided that Jamat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation be notified as proscribed organizations by the Ministry of Interior.
The NSC also formally authorised the armed forces “to respond decisively and comprehensively to any aggression or misadventure by India”. Imran Khan had directed the interior ministry to “immediately accelerate actions on ground” to ensure this.
It is pertinent to note that there still has not been any word against Jaish-e-Mohammed and its chief Masood Azhar, who were behind the deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama that claimed lives of 40 CRPF personnel on February 14.