Pak court accepts plea of Saeed's brother-in-law to transfer terror financing cases to Lahore

A Pakistani court on Monday accepted the plea of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's brother-in-law Hafiz Abdur Rehman Makki and allowed transfer of two terror financing cases against him to Lahore from other parts of Punjab province after the prosecution raised no objection.

"Lahore High Court Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh allowed the application of suspect Makki after Additional Prosecutor General Abdul Samad Khan said the prosecution has no objection in transferring his (Makki) cases from Sargodha to Lahore," a court official told PTI.

Sargodha is located nearly 200 kilometres northwest of Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

Makki told the court that two cases have been pending against him before the anti-terrorism court of Sargodha while some other identical cases were also being heard by a Lahore's trial court.

He asked the court to order consolidation of all cases against him at Lahore "because of similar charges" against him.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had registered 23 cases under Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 in police stations of Lahore and other cities of Punjab against Makki, Jamat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed and others.

They are accused of using properties of religious seminaries and mosques and collection of funds for terror financing.

Makki, head of JuD's political and international affairs wing and in-charge of its charity Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), was arrested after the Imran Khan government's crackdown against the outlawed organisations last year.

Meanwhile, no proceeding was held in the terror financing cases against Saeed in the Lahore's ATC on Monday.

"Saeed and other suspects in the two cases of terror financing against them could not be produced before the ATC on Monday after which it adjourned the hearing till Tuesday," a court official told PTI.

In the last hearing last week, the lawyers of the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba completed their arguments before the court.

Saeed's lawyers - advocates Naseeruddin Nayyar and Imran Fazal Gull - presented their arguments declaring their client innocent.

The ATC had indicted Saeed and others on December 11 in terror financing case in day to day hearing.

The Counter Terrorism Department had registered 23 FIRs against Saeed and his accomplices on the charges of terror financing in different cities of Punjab province and arrested him on July 17. He is lodged at the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.

Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice.

The United States has also welcomed Saeed's indictment by a Pakistani court, urging Islamabad to ensure a full prosecution and expeditious trial of the charges against him.