Daily Times

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday issued notices to the federal and the provincial government asking for a response within 15 days over a petition submitted by the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) against government blockade of their welfare activities.

Justice Aminuddin Khan ordered the government to explain why Hafiz Saeed’s two organisations – Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and its charity wing Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) – had been banned and their accounts frozen.

The petition filed by Hafiz Saeed through senior lawyer AK Dogar maintained that the Interior Ministry on Feb 10 had issued a notification to freeze the bank accounts of JuD and the FIF and take over assets associated with both the organisations under the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018. The petitioner alleged that the government had acted under the pressure of foreign powers, including the US and India. He contended that Pakistan is a sovereign independent state and makes its own laws to govern its citizens.

He contended that if there is a conflict between the laws of the land and any provision of the United Nations Security Council Act, 1948, the law of the land shall prevail.

The petitioner informed the court that Hafiz Saeed has been engaged in the public welfare activities for the last several years and his organisations are running 142 schools and three universities in the country. “It is unconstitutional to bar anyone from carrying out social welfare activities,” the petitioner noted.
The government lawyer pleaded the court to give more time to submit reply, to which the bench ordered him to submit reply by March 29.

The court would resume hearing on April 04.

Published in Daily Times, March 17^th 2018.