Pak remains close-lipped about reported ban on Haqqani Network, JuD

The Pakistani government has maintained a stoic silence on a reported ban on the Haqqani Network and the Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which are regarded as terror outfits by both the United States and India.

However, an unnamed government official said that the two organistaions have been added to the list of proscribed outfits and added that the development occurred as part of the progress on the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism, reported the Dawn.

The official said that it was the demand of the United States to outlaw the Haqqani Network and JuD but the government is using "delay tactics."

The source said that the recent Taliban attack on Peshawar's Army Public School had prompted the government to act against all terror organisations without differentiating between "good" and "bad" Taliban.

The U.S. welcomed the decision by saying that the move constituted a vital step towards eliminating terrorism.

The U.S. blames the Haqqani Network, founded by Afghan warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, for some of the most deadly attacks on US-led troops in Afghanistan and listed the organization as a terror outfit in September 2012.

The JuD, a 'charity' organisation run by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, on the other hand, is regarded as the sister organisation of banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terror outfit blamed for planning and executing the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, by both the U.S. and India.