LAHORE: Pakistani Islamist militant Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of deadly 2008 attacks in Mumbai, pleaded not guilty on Friday in a second case on charges of financing terrorism, a government prosecutor and a defense lawyer said.
Saeed, who was indicted on similar charges in another case on Dec 11, was presented in an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, prosecutor Abdur Rauf Watto told Reuters.
Defense lawyer Imran Gill said the second case was related to Saeed’s charity operations. “The militant charities the accused ran collected illegal funds,” Watto said.
Saeed is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or the Army of the Pure, a militant group blamed by the United States and India for the four-day Mumbai siege in which 160 people were killed. Foreigners, including Americans, were among the dead.
Pakistan’s counterterrorism police arrested Saeed in July, days before a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The indictments came ahead of a meeting of world financial watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) early next year that will decide whether to blacklist Pakistan for its failure to curb terror financing.
The United States has offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to the conviction of Saeed, who has been arrested and released several times over the past decade.
Washington has long pressured Pakistan to try Saeed, who is designated a terrorist by the United States and the United Nations.
The Islamist has denied any involvement in the Mumbai attacks and says his network, which spans 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services, has no ties to militant groups.
Pakistani Islamist leader pleads not guilty on terrorism financing charges
https://arab.news/2mhdq
Pakistani Islamist leader pleads not guilty on terrorism financing charges
- Hafiz Saeed is facing charges of financing terrorism
- The US has offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to his conviction
IMF says has made ‘considerable progress’ as Pakistan funding talks continue
- Discussions covered the impact of the Middle East conflict on Pakistan, balance of payments and external financing needs
- Pakistan’s program implementation under a $7 billion program remained broadly aligned with authorities’ commitments, IMF says
KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has made “considerable progress” in talks with Pakistan over its funding facilities, the Fund said late Wednesday, adding that discussions will continue in the coming days.
The IMF mission, led by Iva Petrova, had started talks with Pakistani officials on the third review of a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) multi-year program and for the second review of the $1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) from Feb. 25 to Mar. 11, according to the IMF.
The mission observed that Pakistan’s program implementation under the EFF remained broadly aligned with the authorities’ commitments through end-Feb., with both sides making progress on policies, including fiscal consolidation, a sufficiently tight monetary policy and advancing energy sector reforms.
“While considerable progress was made in the discussions, these will continue in the coming days, including to more fully assess the impact of recent global developments on Pakistan’s economy and the EFF-supported program,” the IMF quoted Petrova as saying.
Both EFF, secured in Sept. 2024, and the RSF, secured in May 2025, are key programs crucial for stabilizing Pakistan’s fragile economy. The IMF team was in the country to assess fiscal performance, energy-sector reforms, and external financing needs before approving the next disbursement.
The ongoing IMF engagement is seen as vital for Pakistan as geopolitical tensions and rising global oil prices pose renewed risks for its economic recovery.
The IMF mission observed that Islamabad paid “particular attention” to deepening structural reforms and made “good progress” in the implementation of their agenda to strengthen climate resilience, including through the completion of reform measures under the RSF.
“Discussions also covered the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on Pakistan’s economic outlook, the balance of payments and external financing needs amid volatile and rising energy prices and tighter global financial conditions,” Petrova said, adding:
“The IMF team and the authorities will continue these discussions with a view to conclude them in the coming days.”
