Replies sought on Hafiz Saeed’s plea against terror financing case

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court division bench on Monday sought replies from the ministry of interior, Punjab home department and CTD on a petition of Jamatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and his seven aides challenging a case carrying charge of terror financing.

Advocate AK Dogar represented the petitioners and contended that the facts narrated in the FIR registered on July 1, 2019, illegally described them as members of LeT and leveled unlawful allegations of terror financing.

However, the bench comprising Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry and Justice Waheed Khan directed the law officer to furnish written replies on behalf of the respondents by July 30. Meanwhile an anti-terrorism court on Monday granted pre-arrest bail to Jamatud Dawa Chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and three others in a case related to alleged illegal use of land for its seminary.

The accused, including Hafiz Saeed, Hafiz Masood, Ameer Hamza, and Malik Zafar had filed a pre-arrest bail application in the court contending that they were not using illegally the land of their seminary. They said that they were ready to cooperate with investigators and implored the court for pre-arrest bail.

The court after hearing arguments of the accused granted interim bail to them by August 3, against surety bonds of Rs50,000 each. On July 3, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab in a major crackdown against terror financing had registered 23 cases against Jamatud Dawa (JuD) Chief Hafiz Saeed and 12 others.