LAHORE: A Lahore High Court two-judge bench on Tuesday issued a notice to the interior ministry and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on a petition for cancellation of 23 FIRs registered against Jamatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and other leaders on charges of using different properties for terror financing.

The bench comprising Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmad also summoned the CTD station house officer on next date of hearing.

Malik Zafar Iqbal, secretary of Al-Infal Trust (subsidiary of JuD), challenged the cases against 65 leaders and members of the organisation.

Advocate A.K Dogar represented the petitioner and told the court that the properties in-question had never been used for terror financing as there was no tangible evidence on record to support such bald allegations.

He said describing Hafiz Saeed and other leaders of the JuD as leaders of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) was factually and legally incorrect. He submitted that a full bench of the high court in a case against detention of JuD leaders already declared in its 2009 judgment that Mr Saeed and others are not the members of LeT.

The counsel said the petitioners had never been involved in any activity against the country nor they had links to any terrorist organisation. He said allegation against Hafiz Saeed and others of being involved in Mumbai attacks was nothing but propaganda of the Indian lobby.

He argued that the properties mentioned in the FIRs stood dedicated for the purpose of mosques and being used for the last so many years.

He asked the court to declare the impugned FIRs unlawful and also declare that the JuD leaders nominated in them had no connection with the LeT.

The bench sought replies from the respondents within a fortnight.

Mr Saeed and others are in custody of the CTD through physical remand granted by anti-terrorism courts of different cities.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2019