LHC transfers cases against JD leader to Lahore court

LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh on Monday granted the request of a senior leader of the outlawed organization Jamaatud Dawa (JD), Abdul Rehman Makki, to transfer terrorism-related cases against him from different courts of other districts of Punjab to a court in Lahore.

The court accepted Makki’s petition seeking transfer of cases to Lahore after the government lawyer raised no objection to it. The petitioner, through his counsel, pleaded that in 2019, top 13 JD leaders including its chief Hafiz Saeed had been booked in nearly two dozen cases of alleged terror financing and money laundering.

The Counterterrorism Department (CTD) registered 23 cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 at the CTD Police Stations of Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan, Faisalabad and Sargodha. The petitioner said the accused’s lives were under threat as they have to frequently move from one place to another to face the cases. He prayed to the court to transfer all cases pending in other districts to a Lahore anti-terrorism court which is already hearing similar cases.

Additional Prosecutor General Abdul Samad turned up on behalf of the Punjab government and showed willingness to club all cases before an ATC in Lahore. After hearing both sides, the court accepted the petition and directed the Punjab government to transfer the cases to Lahore.