The Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) on Monday prohibited the collection of donations by Hafiz Saeed's Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), the charity wing of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, as well as several other such organisations named in a list of banned outfits by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

"The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan hereby prohibits all companies from donating cash to the entities and individuals listed under the UNSC sanctions committee's consolidated list," read a notification issued by the commission.

In addition to JuD, the UNSC's list also includes Lashkar-e-Taiba itself, the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), the Paasban-i-Ahle-Hadith and Pasban-i-Kashmir, among others.

The SECP notification further warned that non-compliance with the said ruling could result in a hefty monetary fine.

"The Government of Pakistan has already prescribed a penalty of up to Rs10 million for non-compliance on the sanctions regime being implemented," it said.

In early 2017, the federal government had launched a crackdown against JuD, placing Saeed under house arrest.

However, Saeed was released in November after the Lahore High Court refused to extend the period of his confinement.

JuD says will move court

Responding to reports that the government is also planning on seizing their assets, JuD and FIF said they will take the matter to the court.

“There are clear rulings of the Lahore High Court and Supreme Court that JuD is free to continue its welfare activities in Pakistan,” said JuD spokesperson Yahya Mujahid. “Yet the government still pulls such stunts for the appeasement of India.”

He further alleged: “The Modi government is toying with their Pakistani counterparts. Whenever India wants, it exerts pressure on our rulers, who then do even more than what’s asked of them, sometimes by making arrests and sometimes by disrupting our relief activities.”