LAHORE: The Punjab police have registered 106 cases of terror financing involving proscribed organisations since 2015, and arrested 144 suspects, 42 of whom were convicted by courts.

This has been stated in a report which is part of similar narrations three other provinces have prepared for a briefing the Pakistani authorities are scheduled to give to a delegation of the UN Security Council’s Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Wednesday (Aug 15) on steps taken to curtail financial and other activities of the organisations proscribed by the world body, including the Jamaatud Dawa. The report from Punjab was sent to Islamabad on Sunday.

Since 2015, officials said, 26 accused were convicted of receiving or donating funds and handed more than five years of imprisonment.

Figure is part of a report to be discussed with FATF delegation

"Like all other provinces, Punjab has also sent to the federal government its report on implementation of the actions suggested by the UN against the proscribed organisations," a senior official told Dawn.

Officials said a preparatory meeting was held in Islamabad under the federal interior secretary a few days ago in which the provinces were asked to prepare their reports.

The UN has proscribed 18 organisations, including JuD, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation and Al Qaeda. In addition, Pakistan has also itself banned another 54 organisations.

The officials said that senior officials of Foreign Office would brief the FATF delegation on the status of the proscribed organisations.

Since 2015, they said, Punjab had detected 3,077 social media sites run by these organisations and blocked 2,273 of them. In this connection, 58 cases were registered, 59 suspects arrested and 37 of them convicted for cyber crime.

More than 250 cases were registered over fund raising by the proscribed organisations under which 416 suspects were arrested and 137 of them convicted by courts.

The Punjab police registered 575 cases against these organisations and arrested 827 of their active members, 303 of whom were convicted by courts for different violations.

Under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 902 cases were registered against the members of these organisations, 1,192 suspects were arrested and 527 of them convicted.

Like the previous year, the officials said, the Punjab government had disallowed the proscribed organisations to collect hides of sacrificial animals during the forthcoming Eidul Azha.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2018