Pakistani court bars government from 'harassing' Hafiz Saeed
Islamabad: The Lahore High Court on Thursday ordered government authorities to not "harass" banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and allow him to continue his "social welfare activities".
The founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) alleged in a petition that the government was interfering in his party's welfare projects because it had bowed down to pressure from India and the US, Dawn online reported.
The petition argued that barring an organisation or party from indulging in charity work was against the Constitution.
Justice Ameenud Din Khan, who heard the petition filed by lawyer A.K. Dogar on Saeed's behalf, also directed the authorities to submit their responses by April 23.
Saeed had filed a nearly identical petition through Dogar before the same judge in March. That time, Justice Khan had directed the federal and provincial governments to submit their responses by April 27.
However, due to the similar nature of both petitions, the court decided to club the cases.
After hearing Saeed's arguments in Thursday's hearing, Justice Khan issued notices to the federal and provincial governments again, directing them to file their replies. The hearing was subsequently adjourned until April 23.
On January 1, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan had barred JuD and several other such organisations named in a list of banned outfits by the UN Security Council from collecting donations in the country.
The federal government had followed suit on February 12, with President Mamnoon Hussain amending the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 1997 and issuing the amended Anti-Terrorism Ordinance, 2018, following which the personnel banned by the UN stood banned in Pakistan as well.
Earlier this week, the US designated LeT's political front, the Milli Muslim League (MML), as well as another front organisation, the Tehreek-e-Azadi-e-Kashmir (TAJK), as foreign terrorist groups.
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Heavy rains set off flash floods in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 50 people
Islamabad (AP): Flash floods from seasonal rains in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan killed at least 50 people on Friday, a Taliban official said.
The floods also caused losses to homes and property in several districts, according to Edayatullah Hamdard, the provincial director of Natural Disaster Management in Baghlan. He said that the death toll was preliminary and that it "might rise as many people are missing”.
The flash floods also hit the capital, Kabul, said Abdullah Janan Saiq, the Taliban's spokesman for the State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management. He said that rescue teams bringing food and other aid have been dispatched to the affected areas.
Saiq said that the rescue operation is the main focus of authorities at the moment, and that he later might be able to provide more precise figures on casualties and damage.
In April, at least 70 people died from heavy rains and flash flooding in the country. About 2,000 homes, three mosques, and four schools were damaged last month. Thousands of people require humanitarian assistance. The flooding also damaged agriculture land and 2,500 animals died in the deluges, according to Saiq.
