<p class="title">Pakistan's law enforcement agencies on Thursday arrested the "top four leaders" of the banned LeT/JuD on charges of terrorism financing, a move that authorities say would put the "entire core leadership" of these outfits on trial.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The top four leaders of Lashkar-e-Taiba /Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) arrested on Thursday have been identified as Professor Zafar Iqbal, Yahya Aziz, Muhammad Ashraf and Abdul Salam.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The development comes ahead of the Financial Action Task Force's crucial plenary meeting scheduled to be held in Paris from October 12 to October 15.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pakistan was placed on the grey list by the Paris-based watchdog in June last year and was given a plan of action to complete it by October 2019, or face the risk of being placed on the black list with Iran and North Korea.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A spokesman for the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said that there had been an "important progress" in the National Action Plan (NAP) as the main leaders of proscribed organisation JuD/LeT have been arrested by the CTD Punjab in offences of terrorism financing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"JuD/LeT chief Hafiz Saeed is already in prison facing trial for commission of offences of terrorism financing. Now the entire core leadership of the JuD/LeT will be on trial," the CTD said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It further said the CTD Punjab has been investigating offences of terrorism financing wherein these accused had built assets using the funds raised through terrorism financing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The suspects further used these assets to raise more funds for terrorism financing. Donors of several assets/properties are also under investigation for providing some of these assets to the suspects and their proscribed organisations namely JuD/LeT," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The suspects had formed trusts, like Al-Anfaal Trust, which acted as front entities of these organisations. The assets/properties have already been frozen by the government," it said, adding the suspects will be produced before the trial court on Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The CTD had arrested Saeed on July 17. He is detained at the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The CTD said investigation was launched into financing matters of proscribed organisations -- JuD and LeT -- in connection with the implementation of UN Sanctions against these Designated Entities & Persons as directed by the NSC (National Security Committee) in its meeting on January 1, 2019 chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan for implementing the NAP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The US, since 2012, has been offering a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.</p>
<p class="title">Pakistan's law enforcement agencies on Thursday arrested the "top four leaders" of the banned LeT/JuD on charges of terrorism financing, a move that authorities say would put the "entire core leadership" of these outfits on trial.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The top four leaders of Lashkar-e-Taiba /Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) arrested on Thursday have been identified as Professor Zafar Iqbal, Yahya Aziz, Muhammad Ashraf and Abdul Salam.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The development comes ahead of the Financial Action Task Force's crucial plenary meeting scheduled to be held in Paris from October 12 to October 15.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pakistan was placed on the grey list by the Paris-based watchdog in June last year and was given a plan of action to complete it by October 2019, or face the risk of being placed on the black list with Iran and North Korea.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A spokesman for the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said that there had been an "important progress" in the National Action Plan (NAP) as the main leaders of proscribed organisation JuD/LeT have been arrested by the CTD Punjab in offences of terrorism financing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"JuD/LeT chief Hafiz Saeed is already in prison facing trial for commission of offences of terrorism financing. Now the entire core leadership of the JuD/LeT will be on trial," the CTD said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It further said the CTD Punjab has been investigating offences of terrorism financing wherein these accused had built assets using the funds raised through terrorism financing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The suspects further used these assets to raise more funds for terrorism financing. Donors of several assets/properties are also under investigation for providing some of these assets to the suspects and their proscribed organisations namely JuD/LeT," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The suspects had formed trusts, like Al-Anfaal Trust, which acted as front entities of these organisations. The assets/properties have already been frozen by the government," it said, adding the suspects will be produced before the trial court on Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The CTD had arrested Saeed on July 17. He is detained at the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The CTD said investigation was launched into financing matters of proscribed organisations -- JuD and LeT -- in connection with the implementation of UN Sanctions against these Designated Entities & Persons as directed by the NSC (National Security Committee) in its meeting on January 1, 2019 chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan for implementing the NAP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The US, since 2012, has been offering a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.</p>