LAHORE: Former chief of Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saeed was arrested by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday, while he was traveling from Gujranwala to Lahore.
He was traveling to Lahore to appear in front of an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) when he was stopped and arrested. Saeed was moved to an unknown location and the CTD announced that they will be holding a press conference later in the evening to make clarifications.
The government of Pakistan has initiated a crackdown of illegal organizations in the country under the National Action Plan, and it is suspected that the arrest could potentially be a part of this initiative.
Punjab chief minister’s spokesman Dr Shahbaz Gill told Reuters that Saeed was arrested near Gujranwala.
“The main charge is that he is gathering funds for banned outfits, which is illegal,” Gill said.
According to the CTD sources, Saeed was on his way to an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Gujranwala to seek bail. He was arrested by the CTD Punjab in the Gujranwala jurisdiction.
He has been shifted to an unknown location, the sources said, adding that media will be informed about details of the arrest.
A JuD spokesperson confirmed the arrest to Reuters.
