LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge on Wednesday convicted three leaders of the Jamatud Dawa (JuD) of terror financing in two more cases registered by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).

ATC-III Presiding Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttarhanded down a collective imprisonment of 16 years each to Prof Zafar Iqbal and Yahya Mujahid and one-year term to Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki in FIR No 24of 2019.

The judge also handed down 16-year imprisonment to Mujahid in FIR No 29.

The judge also indicted these convicts and two others -- Abdul Salam bin Muhammad and Luqman Shah -- in six more FIRs and directed the prosecution to present its witnesses on Nov 16.

Many leaders of the JuD have already been convicted in many FIRs of terror financing while trial proceedings in several others are pending adjudication.

JuD chief Hafiz Saeed has already been sentenced to jail terms in two of the FIRs.

The CTD registered 23 FIRs against the leaders of the JuD in different cities of Punjab. However, the trial was transferred to Lahore following an order passed by the high court on the petitions of the suspects.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2020