Pakistan plans to seize control of Jamat-ud-Dawa charities, assets: sources

A volunteer hands medicine to a boy who is affected by the earthquake at a medical camp set up by the FIF in the Rehankot village in Upper Dir, Pakistan, October 28, 2015. Photo: Reuters ISLAMABAD: The government plans to take over the assets and charities linked to Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, according to sources. According to sources, the government has decided to take over JuD and its charitable arm ? Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF). Sources said the decision was taken in a recent meeting on national security. According to the plan, the ambulance services of the organisations are to be taken over and their funding sources uncovered in the first phase. Sources revealed that the Punjab government will run the projects of JuD. Muridke Markaz is also going to be handed over to the government and its name changed as well, sources stated further. The Federal Board of Revenue and State Bank will scrutinise funding, assets of both organisations, sources informed. Reuters adds: Pakistan?s government detailed its plans in a secret order to various provincial and federal government departments on Dec 19, three officials who attended one of several high-level meeting discussing the crackdown told Reuters. Marked ?secret?, a Dec 19 document from the Finance Ministry directed law enforcement and all the provinces to submit an action plan by Dec 28 for a ?takeover? of JuD and FIF. Washington and India blame JuD for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. Saeed has repeatedly denied involvement in the Mumbai attacks. The Dec 19 document, which refers to ?Financial Action Task Force (FATF) issues?, names only Saeed?s two charities and ?actions to be taken? against them. Asked about a crackdown on JuD and FIF, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who co-chaired one of the meetings on the plan, responded only generally, saying he has ordered authorities ?to choke the fundraising of all proscribed outfits in Pakistan?. In a written reply to Reuters, he also said Pakistan wasn?t taking action under US pressure. ?We?re not pleasing anyone. We?re working as a responsible nation to fulfil our obligations to our people and the international community.? Spokesmen for the JuD and FIF both said they could not comment until they receive official notifications of the government?s plans. ?We don?t have any intimation about any crackdown so far,? FIF spokesman Salman Shahid told Reuters. ?No one has asked us about our work or assets.? Saeed could not be reached for comment. The Dec 19 document gave few details about how the state would take over Saeed?s charities, pending the plans submitted by the provincial governments. It did say it would involve government entities taking over ambulance services and accounting for other vehicles used by the charities. It says law enforcement agencies will coordinate with Pakistan?s intelligence agencies to identify the assets of the two charities and examine how they raise money. According to Reuters, JuD's network includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services. The JuD and FIF alone have about 50,000 volunteers and hundreds of other paid workers, according to two counter-terrorism officials.