LHC admits petition on FIRs against JD leaders

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court two-judge bench on Monday admitted for regular hearing a petition seeking cancelation of 23 FIRs registered against Jamatud Dawa (JD) chief Hafiz Saeed and other leaders on charges of using different properties for terror financing.

The bench comprising Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan and Justice Asjad Javed Goral took up the petition and sought para-wise comments from the respondents including federal and provincial governments and the Counterterrorism Department. The hearing was adjourned till October 28.

Malik Zafar Iqbal, secretary of Al-Infal Trust subsidiary of JD, challenged the cases against 65 leaders and members of the organisation. Advocate A.K.Dogar represented the petitioner and told the court that the properties in question had never been used for terror financing as there was no tangible evidence on record to support such bald allegations. He said describing Hafiz Saeed and other leaders of the JD as leaders of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LT) is factually and legally incorrect. He submitted that a full bench of the high court in a case against detention of JD leaders already declared in its 2009 judgment that Saeed and others are not LT members.

The counsel said the petitioners had neither been involved in any activity against the country nor they had links to any terrorist organisation. He said the allegation against Hafiz Saeed and others of being involved in the Mumbai attacks was nothing but propaganda of Indian lobby. He argued that the properties mentioned in the FIRs stood dedicated for the purpose of mosques and are being used for the last so many years.

He asked the court to declare the impugned FIRs unlawful and also declare that the JD leaders nominated in them had no connection with the LT. Saeed and others are in custody of the CTD through physical remand granted by anti-terrorism courts of different cities.