ISLAMABAD: Two charities linked to a radical cleric wanted by the US are no longer on Pakistan’s list of banned groups because a presidential order banning them under a UN resolution has lapsed.
The presidential ordinance regarding Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, founded by cleric Hafiz Saeed, lapsed without parliament’s approval.
The issue came up in the Islamabad High Court, where Saeed challenged the ordinance banning the two entities. Presidential orders must be extended or passed as an act of parliament.
Saeed founded the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat are alleged fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The United States has offered a $10 million reward for Saeed’s arrest.
Saeed denies involvement in the Mumbai attacks.
Pakistan released Saeed in November after 11 months of house arrest.
Charities run by radical cleric no longer banned by Pakistan
Charities run by radical cleric no longer banned by Pakistan
- Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation are alleged fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group blamed for 2008 Mumbai attacks
Germany plays down threat of US invading Greenland after talks
WASHINGTON: Germany’s top diplomat on Monday played down the risk of a US attack on Greenland, after President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to seize the island from NATO ally Denmark.
Asked after meeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio about a unilateral military move by Trump, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said: “I have no indication that this is being seriously considered.”
“Rather, I believe there is a common interest in addressing the security issues that arise in the Arctic region, and that we should and will do so,” he told reporters.
“NATO is only now in the process of developing more concrete plans on this, and these will then be discussed jointly with our US partners.”
Wadephul’s visit comes ahead of talks this week in Washington between Rubio and the top diplomats of Denmark and Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Trump in recent days has vowed that the United States will take Greenland “one way or the other” and said he can do it “the nice way or the more difficult way.”
Greenland’s government on Monday repeated that it would not accept a US takeover under “any circumstance.”
Greenland and NATO also said Monday that they were working on bolstering defense of the Arctic territory, a key concern cited by Trump.
Trump has repeatedly pointed to growing Arctic activity by Russia and China as a reason why the United States needs to take over Greenland.
But he has also spoken more broadly of his desire to expand the land mass controlled by the United States.
