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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Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched an investigation into the high-profile Bengaluru gold smuggling case, following probes by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The ED conducted raids at eight locations in Bengaluru and surrounding areas on Thursday as part of its money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED initiated its investigation after taking cognisance of the CBI’s FIR and DRI’s findings following the arrest of Kannada actress Ranya Rao and her associate, Tarun Konduru Raj. A team of four officers raided Ranya’s Lavelle Road residence, seizing crucial documents. An Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) has been registered in New Delhi.
The probe is also looking into possible violations of foreign exchange laws, with investigators suspecting that money was routed through hawala transactions to Dubai in exchange for gold bars sent to India. The CBI had earlier raided Ranya’s residence on Monday. Meanwhile, the DRI conducted searches at nine locations, including Koramangala and Indiranagar.
The CBI registered an FIR on March 7 based on a complaint by Dr Abhishek Chandra Gupta, Additional Director of DRI, following Ranya’s arrest at Bengaluru airport on March 3. Two foreign nationals were later arrested at Mumbai airport on March 6 for attempting to smuggle 21.28 kg of gold worth ₹18.92 crore. Investigators believe the smuggling syndicate operates from Dubai, with possible national and international ramifications.
IPS officer under scrutiny
The state government has appointed Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta to investigate the alleged involvement of Ranya’s stepfather, senior IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao. Initially, the CID was tasked with probing the alleged misuse of protocol privileges by Ranya, but the state government withdrew the order on Wednesday, stating that Gupta would lead the inquiry with CID assistance.
The case surfaced when DRI officials seized 14.2 kg of gold worth ₹12.56 crore from Ranya upon her arrival from Dubai on March 3. Subsequent raids at her residence led to the seizure of gold jewellery. Investigations continue into the suspected smuggling network and potential links to government officials.
