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Hamad Azhar among 44 members of banned organisations taken in 'preventive detention'
Shakeel Qarar | Dawn.comUpdated March 05, 2019
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Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi and Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan hold press conference on Tuesday. — DawnNewsTV
Forty four under-observation members of proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hamad Azhar — the former believed to be the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leader Masood Azhar and the latter his son — have been taken in preventive detention for investigation, said officials of Ministry of Interior on Tuesday.
"In order to implement National Action Plan (NAP), a high-level meeting was held in the Ministry of Interior on March 4, attended by all representatives of all provincial governments," said a statement by the ministry. "These actions will continue, as per the decisions taken in National Security Committee (NSC) while reviewing NAP."
This was also confirmed by Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi and Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan at a press conference on Tuesday.
"This is across the board — we don't want to give the impression that we are against one organisation," said Khan while talking to the media.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD
He acknowledged that some people who have been detained — including Raoof and Azhar — are named in the dossier handed by India to Pakistan on the Pulwama attack. "It does not mean that action is being taken against only those individuals who are mentioned in the dossier."
India blames Pakistan for the suicide bombing in Pulwama that killed over 40 soldiers in India-occupied Kashmir. Pakistan, from the get-go, rejected the Indian claim, urging New Delhi to share "actionable evidence" so that it could take act upon it.
"We won't allow the use of our soil against any country," said Afridi, stressing on the fact that none of the actions were taken under any kind of pressure and that it was Pakistan's own decision to take these measures.
"This is Pakistan's decision [...] the action will continue for two weeks. Every single detail will be shared with all stakeholders," said Afridi.
Masood Azhar, the chief of JeM, is in Pakistan, said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in an interview last week. Both Raoof and Hamad Azhar are said to be related to him.
The government on Monday notified a 2019 order of the United Nations Security Council that would provide a legal basis for freezing or seizure of properties owned by individuals and organisations designated by the council as terrorists.
“The Federal Government issued the United Nations Security Council (Freezing and Seizure) Order, 2019 in accordance with the provisions of Pakistan’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Act, 1948 (Act No. XIV of 1948),” the Foreign Office spokesman said in a statement issued to the media.
The order was issued to meet the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regarding the implementation of designation of persons and entities under the UNSC resolutions. Pakistan, despite making some progress in overcoming the shortcomings in its counterterrorism financing and anti-money laundering regimes, continues to remain under the cloud at the global illicit financing watchdog.
After failing to adequately convince the FATF, Pakistan is now required to complete actions it has to take by the May timeline. The next FATF plenary is due in June this year.
This is a developing story.
Shakeel Qarar | Dawn.comUpdated March 05, 2019
Facebook Count40
Twitter Share
0
Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi and Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan hold press conference on Tuesday. — DawnNewsTV
Forty four under-observation members of proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hamad Azhar — the former believed to be the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leader Masood Azhar and the latter his son — have been taken in preventive detention for investigation, said officials of Ministry of Interior on Tuesday.
"In order to implement National Action Plan (NAP), a high-level meeting was held in the Ministry of Interior on March 4, attended by all representatives of all provincial governments," said a statement by the ministry. "These actions will continue, as per the decisions taken in National Security Committee (NSC) while reviewing NAP."
This was also confirmed by Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi and Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Suleman Khan at a press conference on Tuesday.
"This is across the board — we don't want to give the impression that we are against one organisation," said Khan while talking to the media.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD
He acknowledged that some people who have been detained — including Raoof and Azhar — are named in the dossier handed by India to Pakistan on the Pulwama attack. "It does not mean that action is being taken against only those individuals who are mentioned in the dossier."
India blames Pakistan for the suicide bombing in Pulwama that killed over 40 soldiers in India-occupied Kashmir. Pakistan, from the get-go, rejected the Indian claim, urging New Delhi to share "actionable evidence" so that it could take act upon it.
"We won't allow the use of our soil against any country," said Afridi, stressing on the fact that none of the actions were taken under any kind of pressure and that it was Pakistan's own decision to take these measures.
"This is Pakistan's decision [...] the action will continue for two weeks. Every single detail will be shared with all stakeholders," said Afridi.
Masood Azhar, the chief of JeM, is in Pakistan, said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in an interview last week. Both Raoof and Hamad Azhar are said to be related to him.
The government on Monday notified a 2019 order of the United Nations Security Council that would provide a legal basis for freezing or seizure of properties owned by individuals and organisations designated by the council as terrorists.
“The Federal Government issued the United Nations Security Council (Freezing and Seizure) Order, 2019 in accordance with the provisions of Pakistan’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Act, 1948 (Act No. XIV of 1948),” the Foreign Office spokesman said in a statement issued to the media.
The order was issued to meet the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regarding the implementation of designation of persons and entities under the UNSC resolutions. Pakistan, despite making some progress in overcoming the shortcomings in its counterterrorism financing and anti-money laundering regimes, continues to remain under the cloud at the global illicit financing watchdog.
After failing to adequately convince the FATF, Pakistan is now required to complete actions it has to take by the May timeline. The next FATF plenary is due in June this year.
This is a developing story.
