Verdicts in 2 terror financing cases against Saeed on Saturday

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore has reserved its verdicts in two cases pertaining to terror financing against Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) who mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

ATC judge Arshad Hussain Bhatta will announce the verdicts in both cases on Saturday, Dawn news said in a report on Thursday.

The cases were filed by the Counter-Terrorism Department's (CTD) Lahore and Gujranwala chapters.

The case filed by CTD's Gujranwala chapter was initially being heard in a Gujranwala ATC but was shifted to Lahore on the directions of the Lahore High Court.

During the trial of both cases, the court recorded the statements of 23 witnesses.

The JuD chief was arrested by CTD in July last year, while he was travelling from Lahore to Gujranwala.

Prior to his arrest, 23 first information reports had been registered against JuD leaders, including Saeed and JuD Naib Emir Abdul Rehman Makki, at CTD police stations of Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan, Faisalabad and Sargodha in July 2019.

According to the CTD, JuD was financing terrorism from the massive funds collected through non-profit organisations and trusts, said the Dawn news reported.

These non-profit organisations were banned in April 2019 as the CTD, during detailed investigations, found that they had links with the JuD and its top leadership.

Saeed is nominated in about 29 cases pertaining to terror financing, money laundering as well as illegal land grabbing.