Hafiz Saeed barred from leading prayers in Lahore

Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) leader Hafiz Saeed has been barred from leading prayers at Lahore's Jamia Masjid Qadsia as part of the Pakistan government's crackdown on terror groups, the media reported on Friday.

The development on Thursday night comes as Pakistani law enforcement agencies took 121 people into preventive detention and seized 182 madrasas earlier in the day.

Police contingents were dispatched to the Jamia Qadsia Masjid to help the administration take control, Dawn news reported citing an informed source as saying.

The police also locked the JuD's and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation's (FIF) Chauburji headquarters late Thursday night.

The FIF is a charity wing of the JuD.

The official said that security had been tightened at the outfit's Muridke Markaz office where the government has appointed six administrators.

The crackdown was launched on Tuesday amid tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad after the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group claimed responsibility for the February 14 suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 40 CRPF troopers.

On Tuesday, the brother and son of JeM leader Masood Azhar along with 42 others affiliated with the banned outfit were arrested.

The next day, at least two seminaries and assets belonging to the JuD and FIF were taken over by the authorities.

--IANS

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