Govt freezes banned TLP’s assets

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has ordered all concerned authorities to freeze properties/assets of the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and its top leadership's accounts.

The move comes a week after Pakistan included TLP to its proscribed organizations list after a spree of violence and terror incidents spread by its workers across the country last week.

The government has also blocked travel documents and bank accounts of over two hundred key leaders of the TLP, including its Ameer Hafiz Saad Rizvi, officials said on Sunday.

The Ministry of Interior and Punjab Home Department have already written to the State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue, provincial concerned departments for providing details of assets of TLP and its leadership, added the officials.

The Punjab government also approached NACTA and the Ministry of Interior to put names of some 210 TLP workers, including Saad Rizvi’s name on the 4th Schedule under ATA 1997. All other names of 109 TLP workers which were removed from the Fourth Schedule months back are also being included to this list again, officials said.

“On the basis of information placed before me, it is evident that Hafiz Saad, son of Khadim Rizvi, is the Ameer of Tahreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, a proscribed organization under sub-section (i) of section 11-b of ATA 1997. Now therefore his name is hereby notified in the list of Fourth Schedule of ATA, 1997,” read a notification issued by the Punjab Home Department on Thursday.

“Execute a band for his good behavior and not to involve in any act of terrorism in any manner advance the objectives of the aforesaid organization with one or more sureties -- submit his passport in original with the office in-charge of the police station of concerned areas before moving his permanent place of residence for any period of time -- the money or other property owned or controlled wholly or partly directly or indirectly by a proscribed person shall be frozen or seized as the case may be and the money or other property derived or generated from any such property shall also be frozen or seized as the case may be in view of section 11-O(1)(a & b) of Act ibid, by the relevant controlling authorities without any further delay and without any prior notice,” read the notice issued by Additional Chief Secretary Home.

"The assets of his immediate family members shall be checked and probed by the Counter-Terrorism Department Punjab to ascertain whether assets and sources of income are legitimate and are being spent on lawful objectives. The CTD shall have powers available under relevant law for the purpose of investigation as described under aforesaid section,” read the notice.

Informed officials told Geo News that a country-wide crackdown has been started against TLP and law enforcement agencies have taken around 2,200 workers of this banned into custody. Probe is continued and it is most likely that the investigators would recommend further action against them if they are found involved in taking law into hands, added the officials.