Friday, March 29, 2024

US welcomes UN’s decision to allow Hafiz Saeed to use bank account

US welcomes UN’s decision to allow Hafiz Saeed to use bank account
September 29, 2019
NEW YORK (Web Desk) – The US has welcomed United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) decision to allow Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed to use his bank account for personal expenses. “It shows that Islamabad is working towards accountability for its counter-terrorism efforts as part of its commitments at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF),” US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells said. “It’s counter-intuitive, but this is actually a positive step,” Alice Wells said. “Countries are required under the obligations of the listings that for any UN-designated individuals, you account for whatever money flow is permitted, such as the family expenses of Hafiz Saeed,” Wells said. “So actually having these submissions indicates a level of transparency and a key requirement of FATF. We welcome this step,” she added.
UN allows Hafiz Saeed for limited use of bank account
The UN has allowed banned outfit Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed for limited use of his frozen bank account. According to the reports, the UN Security Council (UNSC) allowed Hafiz Saeed to use his bank account for basic expenses to help his family. The UN body has given the permission on the request of Pakistan. Pakistan had approached the UNSC with a request to let Saeed use his bank account for personal expenses. In its letter, the UNSC states that with no objections being raised to Pakistan’s request for Hafiz Saeed’s basic expenses, the Chair has approved the appeal. It is pertinent to mention here that complying with the UNSC resolution; Pakistan had frozen Hafiz Saeed’s bank accounts. The reports said the world body has allowed Saeed to withdraw approximately Rs1,50,000 to cover necessary basic living expenses for him and his family. Earlier, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested Hafiz Saeed when he was on his way to Gujranwala from Lahore. The JuD chief was earlier sent on a seven-day judicial remand after his arrest by security forces in Gujranwala.