Bank accounts of over 5,100 terror suspects frozen

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have frozen over 5,100 accounts of suspects whose names were listed in the Fourth Schedule under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, officials said on Sunday.

These accounts carried net amount worth over Rs400 million, revealed the officials, adding that names of around 1,200 suspects whose accounts were frozen by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) were listed in category ‘A*’ of the ATA, 1997, a term used for terrorists put on exceptional risk or high risk.

The name of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar has also been included in the list’s top suspects whose accounts were frozen by the SBP, officials of the Ministry of Interior and SBP said. Masood Azhar’s name was also listed in category ‘A*’ of the 4th Schedule, revealed the officials who sought anonymity on the gravity of the issue. It happened since the government put the JeM chief under “protective custody” of security agencies after terrorists attacked the Pathankot Airbase, part of the Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force, they further revealed.

“Following a request of the Ministry of Interior, we have frozen accounts of all top suspected terrorists, including Masood Azhar, son of Allah Bux,” confirmed a senior official of the SBP who is part of a team monitoring the progress pertaining to this matter.

The interior ministry sent three different lists of thousands of suspects, including kingpins of some proscribed organisations, he further revealed.

The National Counterterrorism Authority (Nacta) sent around 5,500 names to the SBP earlier this month, revealed the officials. Some 3,208 names will be forwarded after cleansing the data soon, Nacta officials added. Around 8,400 suspects have been listed to schedule four who have had affiliation with around 60 proscribed organisations and these 3,208 fourth schedulers are without computerised national identity cards and notification, they added.

National Coordinator Nacta Ihsan Ghani confirmed that over 5,000 accounts of suspects have been frozen by the SBP. “These accounts hold net amount worth Rs400 million,” he said. About Masood Azhar’s accounts, Ghani said he would revert with latest updates on this important matter this week.

More than 3,078 accounts of suspects whose accounts were frozen belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata, 1,443 from Punjab, 226 from Sindh, 193 from Balochistan, 106 from Gilgit-Baltistan, 27 from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and 26 suspects whose accounts were blocked belonged to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), revealed the official documents. Over 2,284 schedulers have no CNICs in KP and Fata, 403 in Balochistan, 373 in Sindh, 109 in Punjab, 34 in Gilgit-Baltistan, four in AJK and one suspect has not identity card in ICT, added the official documents.

Accounts of other suspects namely cleric of Islamabad’s Lal Musjid Maulana Aziz to the mover and shaker of Lyari Aman Committee Shahid Bikki have also been frozen under the National Action Plan. Among other suspects whose accounts have already been frozen are: Mohsin Najfi and Sibtain Shirazi (leaders of Ahl-e-Tashi), Maulvi Ahmed Ludhianvi (Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat), Matiur Rehman of al-Qaeda Pakistan, Mansoor alias Ibrahim alias Chotta of Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) and Qari Ehsan alias Ustad Huzaifa of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). Accounts of Aurangzeb Faroogi (ASWJ), Allama Maqsood Domki (Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen), Pariyal Shah (ASWJ), Maulvi Kabir (ASWJ), Mirza Ali and Sheikh Nayyar (defunct Tehreek-e-Jafria Pakistan), Ramzan Mengal (Lashkar-e-Jhangvi), Umar Chohas of TTP al-Qaeda group, Bilal Ahmed of TTP al-Qaeda Pakistan, Sher Abbas of Jamaatul Furqan, Maqsood Domki of MWM, Sarfraz Pappu, Imaad Ali, Baqir Moosvia and Hafiz Aurangzaib have also been frozen.

The Interior Ministry has been informing media that Nadra and Directorate of Passport and Immigration office blocked travel documents of over 3,111 suspects whose names were listed to schedule IV recently. But Nacta National Coordinator Ihsan Ghani said under the law - ATA 1997, we cannot ask Nadra to block CNICs of fourth schedulers. “We’ve not asked anyone to block CNICs of fourth schedulers,” Ghani said.