Pakistan: Hafiz Saeed to be indicted in terror financing case on Dec 7

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore announced on Saturday that it would "indict" the Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and seven other members of the banned outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) on December 7 on charges of terror financing, Pakistan media reported.

The December 7 date was fixed by the ATC judge Malik Arshad Bhutta during a hearing against Saeed and his accomplices -- Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki, Hafiz Abdul Salam bin Mohammad, Professor Zafar Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraf, Mohammad Yahya Aziz, among others -- on terror financing, reported Dawn.

During the hearing, the court was provided with the copies of nearly two dozen cases registered against the JuD leaders, said Deputy Prosecutor General Abdul Rauf Watoo.

"As per the law, after the provision of copies to the court, the trial begins. The first step of a trial is indictment," explained DPG Watoo.

The state's counsel requested the court to hold daily hearings since the copies had been provided, following which the lawyers for the JuD leaders argued that they should be given a week's time so that they can carefully examine the documents and prepare their arguments.

Back in July, the top 13 members of the JuD including Saeed were booked in nearly two dozen cases for terror financing and money laundering under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997. Subsequently, Saeed was arrested from Gujranwala on charges of terror financing by the Punjab Counterterrorism Department (CTD).