ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s anti-terrorism has convicted three leaders of Maulana Masood Azhar-led banned Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), in three separate cases related to terror financing and awarded each of them five-year imprisonment.
The anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala in Punjab had found the trio guilty on Friday on the basis of evidence and investigations carried out by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). The funds that the JeM activists had collected to finance their terror outfit had also been recovered from them.
According to the judgment, convict M Iftikhar has been awarded five-years imprisonment and fine amounting to Rs45,000. Convict Muhammad Ajmal has been awarded five-year imprisonment and Rs 50,000 fine. Bilal, another convict, has been awarded five-year imprisonment and Rs 40,000 fine. All three have been sent to Central Prison Gujranwala.
Amid pressure from the international community to rein in banned groups, the government had directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and CTDs, the law enforcement agencies, to meet the conditions of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international body mandated to combat money laundering and terror financing, by effectively pursuing the cases pertaining to terrorism financing.
According to interior (home) ministry sources, the FIA and CTDs were told to demonstrate and present evidence against members of banned outfits in courts so that they were able to punish them.
The CTD spokesperson said these investigations and prosecutions were being followed to stop proscribed organisations from indulging in terror financing.
The spokesperson added that all proscribed outfits were warned to desist from terrorism financing to avoid arrests and imprisonment.
Last year, the FATF had placed Pakistan on its grey list of countries involved in providing monetary assistance to terrorism. The FATF had given a list of recommendations to Islamabad for implementation before its de-listing from the greylist.
The successful implementation of the action plan and its physical verification by the Asia Pacific Group (APG) will lead the FATF to clear Pakistan out of its ‘grey list’ or move it into the ‘blacklist’ by September.
The anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala in Punjab had found the trio guilty on Friday on the basis of evidence and investigations carried out by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). The funds that the JeM activists had collected to finance their terror outfit had also been recovered from them.
According to the judgment, convict M Iftikhar has been awarded five-years imprisonment and fine amounting to Rs45,000. Convict Muhammad Ajmal has been awarded five-year imprisonment and Rs 50,000 fine. Bilal, another convict, has been awarded five-year imprisonment and Rs 40,000 fine. All three have been sent to Central Prison Gujranwala.
Amid pressure from the international community to rein in banned groups, the government had directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and CTDs, the law enforcement agencies, to meet the conditions of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international body mandated to combat money laundering and terror financing, by effectively pursuing the cases pertaining to terrorism financing.
According to interior (home) ministry sources, the FIA and CTDs were told to demonstrate and present evidence against members of banned outfits in courts so that they were able to punish them.
The CTD spokesperson said these investigations and prosecutions were being followed to stop proscribed organisations from indulging in terror financing.
The spokesperson added that all proscribed outfits were warned to desist from terrorism financing to avoid arrests and imprisonment.
Last year, the FATF had placed Pakistan on its grey list of countries involved in providing monetary assistance to terrorism. The FATF had given a list of recommendations to Islamabad for implementation before its de-listing from the greylist.
The successful implementation of the action plan and its physical verification by the Asia Pacific Group (APG) will lead the FATF to clear Pakistan out of its ‘grey list’ or move it into the ‘blacklist’ by September.
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