Lahore: An anti-terrorism court in Punjab province has awarded 10-year imprisonment to Jamat-ud-Dawa (JUD) chief Hafiz Saeed and other top leaders of the organisation in at least two cases related to terror-financing.
The authorities have been directed to confiscate Hafiz Saeed’s properties. Abdul Rehman Makki, brother-in-law of Saeed and second in command in JUD, has also been sentenced to six months' imprisonment for being an accomplice in the terror-funding cases. The verdict is part of at least 23 cases registered against Saeed and the members of his organisation in 2019. Pakistan has been under global pressure to take firm steps against terror financing and money laundering, especially from the Financial Action Task Force, which has made it a pre-requisite for Pakistan to see itself out of its grey list. With Pakistan's continuation in the 'grey list', the country may find it difficult to get multilateral financial aid, thus further aggravating the problems for the cash-strapped nation.
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