NEW DELHI: Pakistan has banned terrorist Hafiz Saeed-backed outfit Tehreek-e Azadi-Jammu & Kashmir, a rebranded Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). The country has put the group on the list of proscribed organisations, as of June 8, as per the website of Pakistan's National Counter Terrorism Authority.
Mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Saeed was put under 'house arrest' and the JuD on the 'under watch' list, in late January. The banning of JuD's proxy outfit can be seen as a response to the US administration's hinting of a harder dealing with Islamabad. Recent reports said Trump's administration is contemplating amplified drone strikes on terror camps in Pak. The banning also comes ahead of the inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF), scheduled to update its assessment of “high-risk and non-cooperative jurisdictions” next month. The FATF was set up to implement legal, regulatory and operational measures to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other similar threats. A senior US government official had reportedly conveyed to the country that it would be put on the FATF's blacklist if Islamabad did not take action against JuD and other similar outfits.
