Pakistan buckles under US pressure, blacklists Hafiz Saeed's JuD, 71 other terror groups

NEW DELHI: Under pressure from the United States, Pakistan on Saturday blacklisted terror outfit Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD), headed by 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

The move comes days after the United States blocked $255 million military aid to Pakistan. The White House had also accused Pakistan of resorting to “lies and deceit” and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for $33 billion aid over the last 15 years.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry also banned Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a subsidiary of JuD, and 70 other groups.

The ministry declared that aiding and abetting any of the mentioned blacklisted organisations, financially or otherwise would also be considered a crime, said a report in daily the Pakistan Today.

“People should avoid giving them charity, and should instead report any suspicious activities on 1717,” read a release issued by Pakistan Interior Ministry.

Islamabad police have so far registered three First Information Reports (FIRs) against those putting up FIF banners in the capital.

Earlier, an article published in the Pakistsn's leading daily Dawn claimed that bringing JuD into mainstream politics is against country's interests

'Pakistan appears to be making an effort of main-streaming various organisations like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its charity wing Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation politically in the hope of reining in their militant activities,' read the report.

Meanwhile, Saeed has gone ahead and opened the first political office of  Milli Muslim League (MML) in Lahore district last week, ignoring all warnings from the Pakistan government.

Saeed, the co-founder of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and chief of JuD, was freed by a Pakistan court after being under house arrest for 297 days. His release was met with global outcry, with the United States asking the Pakistan government to immediately re-arrest and prosecute him.