WASHINGTON: The United States has welcomed Hafiz Saeed’s indictment by a Pakistani court, urging Islamabad to ensure a full prosecution and expeditious trial of the charges against him.

Hafiz Saeed is the head of the banned Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) group and is the chief accused in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack case.

On Wednesday, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore indicted Hafiz Saeed and three of his top aides Hafiz Abdul Salam bin Mohammad, Mohammad Ashraf and Zafar Iqbal on terror financing charges.

“We welcome the indictment of Hafiz Saeed and his associates,” said US acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice G. Wells in a tweet released a day after the indictment.

“We call for Pakistan to ensure a full prosecution and expeditious trial in line with its international obligations to counter terrorist financing and bring the perpetrators of terrorist attacks like 26/11 to justice,” she said.

The indictment followed growing international pressure on Pakistan to stop militant groups from collecting funds in the country and to take immediate action against those still involved in militant activities.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2019