Will the arrest of Hafiz Saeed save Pakistan from being blacklisted
Pakistan has arrested Hafiz Saeed yet again, but the action taken against the man declared a global terrorist by the United Nations seems more serious this time. As the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the most notorious of Pakistan’s militant groups, he was arrested on various anti-terrorism charges including terror financing. On Wednesday, he was detained by a counter terrorism agency after a local court accepted his pre-arrest bail on other minor charges.
Intriguingly, the action against him has come on the eve of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Washington on President Donald Trump’s invitation. The US has placed a $10 million bounty on his head, but Pakistan has long resisted international pressure to take action against the LeT leader. He is accused by the US and India of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack where more than 160 people died, including several citizens of Western countries.
Not surprisingly, Trump swiftly welcomed Pakistan’s action in a tweet insinuating that it was after “great pressure” from his administration over the last two years that led to the arrest, after a “ten year search.”
It appears Trump doesn’t know that Hafiz Saeed has been roaming around openly and even addressing rallies in Pakistan.
As international pressure increased, Pakistan repeatedly detained Saeed over the past few years but he was released on court orders every time. His speeches at public rallies provoked intense international reaction and news of his activities became a red rag of sorts for the global community. Now, the threat of international isolation has finally compelled Islamabad to act against Saeed and other LeT leaders.
Another significant thing forcing Khan’s government to finally act against Saeed is the looming threat of Pakistan being blacklisted by the Paris-based terror financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). In June 2018, Pakistan was already placed on the grey-list due to ‘strategic deficiencies’ in its anti-money laundering and terrorism-financing regime.
It appears Trump doesn’t know that Hafiz Saeed has been roaming around openly and even addressing rallies in Pakistan.
Zahid Hussain
Pakistan missed its May 2019 deadline, one which required the country to keep terror financing and money laundering in check. Now Pakistan is required to swiftly complete its action plan by October this year. Otherwise, the ball is squarely in FATF’s court, and brings with it the possibility of being blacklisted.
This will have serious ramifications for Pakistan – including increasing its international isolation. Although the watchdog does not have the power to impose sanctions, it can affect international transactions because it exposes states to greater scrutiny. Such restrictions would have disastrous implications for Pakistan’s fragile economy.
For a long time, Pakistan has turned a blind eye to the activities of religious charities that are on the UN list of terrorist groups. But the threat of being placed on blacklists has forced the government to finally act against such groups.
Last year, the security agencies closed the offices of, and various facilities run by, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), headed by Hafiz Saeed and its affiliate, Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation, after Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act was amended to proscribe these charities.
However, the move was too little, too late. The closure of JuD facilities in 2018 was seen as a partial compliance with the requirements of the FATF. It also required an asset freeze and a ban on all organizations headed by those listed by the UN as terrorists.
JUD was formed by Saeed in 2002 after LeT was proscribed under American pressure. Pakistan, however, failed in time to convince the international community that JuD was just a benign charitable organization. Despite the fact that the charity group has been on the UN terrorist watch list for a long time, the network has expanded its operations significantly.
In August 2017, the formation of the Milli Muslim League (MML) party by the leaders of JuD led to even more international concern. The party’s motto of seeking guidance from Saeed left nothing to the imagination about MML’s real political orientation.
The arrest of Hafiz Saeed on terror charges may help reduce the pressure on Pakistan, but it remains to be seen how serious the government is in truly pursuing the charges against him. If it does, this will be the first time any leader of a banned militant outfit, once patronized by Pakistan’s security establishment, is put on trial on terrorism charges.
