LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday indicted Jamatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and his associate, Prof Zafar Iqbal, in another case of terror financing registered by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).

This case was lodged by CTD-Gujranwala.

The officials produced both JuD leaders before ATC-I under strict security measures.

Counsel for the JuD, advocates Naseeruddin Nayar and Imran Fazal Gill, did not appear due to strike by the bar.

However, a deputy prosecutor presented a charge-sheet against the suspects and Presiding Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta indicted them.

The JuD leaders denied the charges and the judge summoned prosecution witnesses on Saturday (today).

The court also recorded statement of a prosecution witness in another case of terror financing wherein the suspects were indicted last week.

In these cases, the defence counsel previously argued that the allegations against the JuD leaders were baseless and a result of international pressure on the Pakistan government. He said the accused had been charged in false cases by wrongly attributing as leaders of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

He said it was an admitted fact supported by superior courts’ decisions that the accused persons had already quit the LeT before the organisation was declared proscribed in the year 2002.

The counsel alleged the CTD registered the cases without any substantive evidence.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2019