After Pak plea, UNSC allows Hafiz Saeed to access his frozen bank account

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday allowed Jammat-ud Dawah (JuD) chief to access his frozen bank account after the Pakistan government urged the global body to release a monthly stipend for the terrorist as he has a family of four to take care of.

Saeed is the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed. The UNSC in 2008 had banned JuD after the attack and later had announced a bounty of US $ 10 million on Saeed for his arrest.  Saeed is also an architect of the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament.

His arrest in Pakistan in July this year on charges of terror financing, was speculated as a ploy by the country to save itself from further sanctions by Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Also read | JuD chief Hafiz Saeed’s arrest result of US “great pressure” on Pak: Trump

According to an ANI report, the council has approved the letter after no objections were raised to it within the set deadline.

Pakistan, in a letter to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee has urged for an asset freeze exemption for Saeed to enable him to access frozen funds – mostly his pension from his earlier job as a professor in Pakistan – and withdraw 1,50,000 Pakistani rupees every month to take care the expenses of his family.

“Saeed’s bank account was blocked by the Pakistan government under compliance with UNSC resolution 1267, requesting an asset freeze exemption to access frozen funds in the amount of ₹1.5 lakh (USD 1000 or INR 68,000) to cover the necessary basic living expenses for himself and his family,” said a Hindustan Times report, quoting Pakistan’s request to the UNSC.

Pakistan reportedly sent the letter, after receiving a request from Saeed in this regard.

Also read | Pak secretly releases Masood Azhar to execute terror strikes: IB