ISLAMABAD Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD), the self-styled charity organisation that was recently outlawed by the United Nations, on Tuesday released the appeal it had made to the world body pleading its innocence and claiming that it has no link with al Qaeda, Taliban or the Mumbai attacks.
The, appeal signed by JuD chief Hafiz Muahmmad Saeed, was released on the eve of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon`s visit to Pakistan
The appeal said the UN had taken a hasty decision in proscribing the JuD, its chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and others members and termed the UN decision detrimental to the interests of Pakistan. It said that millions across the country were directly or indirectly benefiting from JuD`s services particularly in the areas of health, education, water, sanitation, rehabilitation and particularly the provision of food and shelter to the homeless.
Hafiz Saeed requested the UN Secretary General to mobilize his good offices for the lifting of sanctions and delisting of all JuD entities.
The UN imposed a ban on the JuD on the request of India for its involvement in Mumbai attacks in November that claimed about 170 lives.
`We categorically make it clear and declare that Jamaat ud Dawa is neither an associate of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden nor the Taliban, hence the embargo imposed is materially in contradiction to that set out in their rules and highly unjustified under the international law of human dignity and freedom,` Hafiz Saeed said.
He said the UN Security Council`s decision was not based on any solid evidence and relied entirely on the one-sided story of the Indian lobby, which was devoid of any material facts provided by an independent and impartial international judicial system.
`Jamaat ud Dawa or Hafiz Muhammad Saeed have never ever supplied, sold or transferred arms or any related material to Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden or Taliban and recruited any one for or on behalf of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden or Taliban nor have supported their acts or activities or any of their cell, affiliate, splinter group or even derivative group thereof,` he said.
The appeal reiterated that JuD has no organizational or legal link with Lashkar-e-Taiba and it was a legal, Pakistan based, charitable NGO, and all of its institutes and projects are registered in Pakistan.
It also rejected India`s claim that JuD or Hafiz Muhammad Saeed carried any association, link or connection with terrorists attack on Taj Mahal Hotel at Mumbai. `JuD assures that it neither authorized directly or indirectly nor did they have any knowledge thereof. Jamaat ud Dawa and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed strongly condemn the said attacks and reaffirms that it does not prescribe to such means and methods of terrorist nature that kill innocent civilians and damage civilian property,` the appeal said.
