Islamabad: The Pakistan government has banned 12 terror organisations, including the Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD), a front for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, as well as the Haqqani network a few days after US secrretary of state John Kerry concluded his visit to that country. India blames JuD chief Hafiz Saeed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, for which, the UN had banned the group in December 2008.
The move is seen as part of its renewed anti-terror efforts in the wake of last month’s Peshawar school attack. The decision also comes a day after the US state department declared Tehreeke-Taliban Pakistan chief Mullah Fazlullah, sheltered in Afghanistan, a “specially designated global terrorist” on Islamabad’s insistence.
Last year the US had named JuD as a “foreign terrorist organization”. Fazlullah had claimed responsibility for the Peshawar attack. Amir Rana, executive director, Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, Islamabad, said the banning of an organization means freezing of its assets, blocking of its funding sources and proper monitoring of its activities. “In the next move, the offices, infrastructures and networks of the proscribed groups will be banned,” he said. Pakistan was said to have taken over JuD's institultions and properties after the UN ban. “It's our first step towards execution of the National Action Plan,” said an intelligence official. “The nation will see more positive steps towards dismantling militant groups. Both civilian and military leadership decided to ban the Haqqani network and JuD.” The Haqqani network has been blamed for carrying out deadly attacks on Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the embassy in Kabul and consulate in Herat in western Afghanistan. It emerged as one of many Mujahideen groups that the CIA and ISI patronized against the Soviets in the 1980s.
Pakistan had banned 12 organizations and executed several terrorists besides amending its constitution to form military courts to counter terrorism in days leading up to Kerry’s visit. With this latest addition of 12 more outfits, the number of banned organizations in Pakistan has reached 72.
US declares Pak Taliban chief a global terrorist
The US designated Maulana Fazlullah, the chief of Pakistani Taliban, as a global terrorist and slapped sanctions against him. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the December 16, 2014 attack on an army school in Peshawar that resulted in the deaths of at least 150 people, mostly children. The announcement came hours after Kerry asked Pakistan to target all terror outfits like LeT, Taliban and the Haqqani network that pose a threat to itself, neighbours like India and to America.
As a result of this designation, US nationals are prohibited against engaging in transactions with Fazlullah. The move freezes all the property and interests of Fazlullah that are in the US, or come within the US or the possession or control of US persons. Fazlullah was elected TTP commander in November 2013, following the death of former TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud.
