NEW DELHI:
Pakistan has arrested
Hafiz Saeed, head of Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist group and JuD and principal architect of Mumbai attacks hours ahead of verdict in Khulbhshan Jadhav case signalling attempt to reach out to Pakistan.
According Pakistan's Express Tribune daily, authorities had registered cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act in
Lahore,
Gujranwala and Multan against leaders of banned outfits like the Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD),
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF).
Leaders of these groups will be prosecuted in anti-terrorism courts, the report said.
The arrests follow warnings issued by Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that seeks to stem the flow of finances to terrorist networks. In June this year, the FATF gave Pakistan a deadline of October this year to prove that it has improved its efforts to counter terror financing failing which the country would be facing sanctions.
Pakistan has been warned it could be put on its "black list" constraining
Islamabad's efforts to raise money for investments from the international market.
Saeed was earlier booked along with 12 accomplices for terror funding. He is facing 23 terror-related cases in Pakistan.
The arrests were also made ahead of Pakistan PMs USA visit. The arrest comes a day after Pakistan opened its airspace.
Saeed had been arrested in the past and set free many times, including after being detained in the aftermath of the November 2008 Mumbai attack.
Saeed was earlier booked along with 12 accomplices for terror funding. He is facing 23 terror-related cases in Pakistan.