LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court awarded a combined sentence of 33 years imprisonment to Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed on Friday in two cases of terror financing registered by the Counter Terrorism Depart­ment (CTD).

Judge Ejaz Ahmad Buttar handed down the guilty verdict in two FIRs from 2019 under various sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 1997.

In one of the cases, the judge awarded five-year impri­sonment each under sections 11-H (2), 11-I, 11-J(2), and 18 months jail under section 11-F(2) of the ATA.

In the other case, the judge awarded a five-year sentence each under sections 11-N, 11-I, 11-J(2) and an 18-month jail term under section 11-F(6) of the ATA.

The judge imposed a collective fine of Rs340,000 on Hafiz Saeed in both cases.

All the sentences will run concurrently.

Judge Ejaz Buttar observed that the prosecution had established the charges of terror financing against the JuD chief and his role in collecting funds for terrorist activities.

“The evidence presented by the prosecution against Hafiz Saeed and Al Dawatul Irshad, an outlawed organisation, was tangible and convincing.”

Several leaders of the JuD, including Hafiz Saeed, are already under detention since July 2019. They had been convicted on the basis of FIRs registered by the CTD on charges of terror fin­a­ncing. Trial proceedings in several others are pending.

The CTD had registered as many as 41 FIRs against the JuD leaders in different cities. Trial courts have so far decided 27 cases.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2022