LAHORE: The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department claims to have arrested four top leaders of the proscribed organisation Jamatud Dawa (JuD) on charges of terrorism financing.

Declaring it an important progress in the context of National Action Plan, the CTD said the alleged terrorists would be produced before the trial court today (Friday).

Those arrested included Prof Zafar Iqbal, Yahya Aziz, Muhammad Ashraf and Abdul Salam, said a spokesperson for the CTD Punjab on Thursday.

He said JuD Emir Hafiz Saeed is already in prison facing trial for commission of offences of terrorism financing.

“Now after arrest of the four top leaders, the entire core leadership of the JuD will be on trial,” he said.

The spokesperson said they had made assets using the funds raised through terrorism financing. “The donors of several assets/properties are also under investigation for providing some of these assets to the suspects and their proscribed organisation JuD.” He said the suspects had formed trusts, like Al-Anfaal Trust, which acted as a front entity of the banned outfit.

The assets/properties had already been frozen by the government, he said.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2019