ATC verdict

It was a long time coming. An anti-terrorism court has finally handed five and a half years' rigorous imprisonment, each, to chief of the proscribed militant outfit, Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and his close associate Malik Zafar Iqbal, in two cases of terror financing. Noting that as per the section 11-N of the anti-terrorism law, a person is guilty of an offence if he belongs to a proscribed organisation, the court observed that in addition to evidence presented by the prosecution, both accused also admitted the ownership of the property by Tanzeem Markaz Dawatul Irshad, a banned organisation. Since the verdict comes just a few days before the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) plenary in Paris, which is to decide whether or not to remove Pakistan from its grey list, it easily gets related to FATF requirements. Predictably, the defence counsel claimed that the conviction was given under pressure from the international terror financing watchdog.

There seems to be no immediate connection, however. The process began about a year ago in compliance with UN sanctions on JuD. Last March, the government launched an intensive crackdown on JuD and its front welfare organisation, Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation, and other banned jihadist outfits, arresting scores of their activists, and also took over nearly 200 seminaries and other facilities and assets associated with them. Later in July, the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department booked 13 JuD leaders, including Saeed and his deputy Abdul Rehman Makki, in several cases of using funds collected through charity organisations to finance terrorism, leading to the present judicial outcome. It is pertinent to recall here that the JuD chief has been accused by India and the US of being the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks that left 168 people dead, including some American nationals. New Delhi, however, has been refusing to cooperate in investigations or provide incriminating evidence that could stand in a court of law. In 2012, the US also placed a $10 million bounty on him. Although the alleged principal co-plotter of the Mumbai atrocity, David Headley, an American of Pakistani origin, was arrested and imprisoned in the US, if he provided any evidence to his American interrogators about Hafiz Saeed's involvement it was not shared with Islamabad so as to hold him to account.

Irrespective of that case, Pakistan needs to take action against such jihadist elements for the sake of its own peace and security. As a matter of fact, activities of JuD and others of its ilk have been of serious concern in this country. There is a consensus on that these people ought to be put out of business. The ATC verdict is an important step in that direction so has been the earlier crackdowns aimed at immobilizing jihadist outfits and their activists. But their radicalized rank and file remain a challenge. The government must come up with a well thought-out de-radicalization plan, and to direct their energies into productive pursuits.