Pakistan gets UNSC nod to unfreeze Hafiz Saeed’s bank accounts
27 Sep 2019
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Pakistan has succeeded in its dubious diplomacy of nurturing terrorism while also resolving to tackle homegrown terrorism once again after the United Nations Security Council agreed to Islamabad’s request for allowing the release the funds to November 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and globally-designated terrorist Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, whose financial assets were frozen under the UNSC resolution 1267.
Pakistan had in its letter to the UN Security Council stated that Lashkar-e-Taiba terror chief Saeed has to support a family of four and is the sole person responsible for their food and other expenses.
“The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Nations presents its compliments to the Security Council concerning Jarnaat Ud Da’wa and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities, and has the honour to notify the committee, pursuant to paragraph 1(a) of security council resolution 1152(2002) and paragraph 81(a) of resolution 2360(2017), that the government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has received a request from a Pakistani citizen Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who is listed on the list established and maintained by the committee under permanent reference 001.263... His bank account was blocked by the government of Pakistan under compliance with UNSC Resolution 1267 requesting an asset freeze exemption to access frozen funds In the amount of Pakistani rupees 011,50,000 to cover the necessary basic living expenses for himself and his family,” Pakistan said in its letter to the UNSC.
The Council approved the request after no objections were raised by the set deadline, 15 August 2019. In May this year, Hafiz Saeed was booked by Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department, along with other top terrorists from JuD for terror financing.
The UNSC Chair approved the letter stating that no objections were raised against Saeed. “The Chair wishes to inform the members that no objections were placed by the set deadline of 15 August 2019 for the consideration of the draft letter. Consequently, the letter is approved and the Chair will instruct the Secretariat to dispatch it.”
“The Chair has the honour to refer to his draft letter to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan communicating the Committee’s decision with respect to the intention of the Pakistani authorities to authorize certain expenditures to the benefit of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed (ODi.263), Haji Muhammad Ashraf (ODi.265) and Zafar Iqbal (ODi.308) to cover basic expenses, as specified in the note verbale of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan pursuant to paragraph 81 (a) of resolution 2368 (2017),” the UNSC committee said in a notification dated 15 August, in compliance with Resolution 1267, 1989 and 2253.
The development exposes Pakistan’s falsehood of tackling terrorism emanating from his soil even though Saeed has been internationally designated as a global terrorist. In May this year, Hafiz Saeed was booked by Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department, along with other top terrorists from JuD for terror financing.
