PESHAWAR, Oct 6: In line with the United Nations resolutions number 1276 and 1333 passed in 1999 and 2000, respectively, Islamabad has frozen bank accounts and assets, if any, of the top Taliban leaders apart from Osama bin Laden and his associates being maintained in Pakistan, according to official documents available with Dawn.

Under two circulars of the State Bank of Pakistan, one each issued in January and August 2001, banks operating in Pakistan have been instructed to freeze and then provide details of accounts and assets, if any, being maintained by 146 leading Taliban leaders, 10 Arabs including Osama bin Laden and three Afghan business entities.

Peshawar-based SBP sources rejected the impression created by a news story carried by an English newspaper in which it has been reported, after Sept 11, last, that Pakistan had frozen the bank accounts of Afghans. “Not all the Afghans, rather the bank accounts of Taliban and Arabs — wanted by US under the charges of terrorism — have been frozen,” said a senior banker.

In pursuant to the UN resolution 1333, the Arabs whose bank accounts and assets have been proposed to be frozen include Osama bin Laden his senior lieutenant Mohammed Atif Aiman Muhammed Rabi Al-Zawahiri (an Egyptian and a former leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad now a close associate of Osama), Sa’ad Al-Sharif (brother in-law and close associate of Osama, Saudi national and said to be head of Osama’s financial organization), Saif Al-Haq (an Egyptian national thought to be responsible for Osama’s security), Amin Al-Haq (an Afghan who coordinate’s Osama’s security), Ahmed Sa’id Al-Kadr (thought to be holding dual nationality of Egypt and Canada), Zain Al-Abidin Hussain (holding Saudi/ Palestinian and Jordanian nationalities happens to be a close associate of Osama and facilitator of terrorists’ travel), Saqar Al-Jadawi (an aide of Osama holding dual nationality of Saudi Arabia and Yemen) and Bilal Bin Marwan (a senior lieutenant of Osama).