ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-ud-Dawa has rebranded under new name, Tehreek Azadi Jammu and Kashmir (TAJK), mere days after its chief Hafiz Saeed was put under house arrest and a crackdown was launched on the organisation's activities. Mastermind behind the Mumbai attack, Saeed had hinted at a launch of TAJK to "expedite the freedom of Kashmir." The rebranding is just proof that he was aware of the official plans and had already worked out his way to survive after the clampdown.
Official sources confirmed that the two organisations-JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), have begun activities under the new name of TAJK and were planning to organise events on February 5, which is observed as Kashmir Day in Pakistan. TAJK banners have been put up for display in Lahore, and other cities, and the group is also planning to hold a big Kashmir conference in Lahore on Sunday, after the evening prayers. The group has reactivated its donations centres and ambulance services in different districts of Punjab, including Lahore, which is the hub of its activities. A police official said law enforcement agencies were keeping a close eye on the activities of Saeed's network and appropriate action would be taken. "It is a sensitive issue and a measured response is needed to fulfil the international obligations of the country and deal with any possible fallout due to protest by followers of Saeed," he said.
JuD and FIF offices were closed following Saeed's house arrest. Both of them have also been put on observation under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Earlier, the government placed Saeed and his four accomplices Abdullah Ubaid, Zafar Iqbal, Abdur Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Niaz, under house arrest in Lahore.
Meanwhile, India said that "concrete evidence" needed to proceed against Saeed is available in Pakistan and it needs to have the political will to act against the 26/11 terror mastermind. New Delhi said the conspiracy in the Mumbai terror attack case was hatched in Pakistan and the evidence to implicate Saeed was available here. "In fact, Saeed has himself confessed to masterminding multiple acts of terror directed at India. So, the so-called concrete evidence that the Pakistani establishment is looking for is already available in Pakistan. All they need is to find the requisite political will," said MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
