Pakistan Supreme Court rejects government appeal against allowing JuD charity work

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an appeal by the federal government against an interim order of the Lahore High Court which allowed Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) charities to continue their social work.

The verdict was issued by a two-member bench including Justice Manzoor Ahmed and Justice Sardar Tariq Masood.

The apex court in its verdict rejected the federal government's appeal against the Lahore High Court's interim order of April 5.

The high court had restrained the government from interfering with the social welfare organisations of Saeed and also allowed legal activities of JuD and FIF.

JuD chief Saeed termed the Supreme Court verdict as a "victory of justice and truth".

Earlier, the Pakistan government had banned companies and individuals from making donations to JuD, FIF, and other organisations on the UN Security Council sanctions list.

Saeed's counsel A K Dogar claimed the FIF owned 369 ambulances, had helped 72,000 persons to charity hospitals and treated 600,000 patients in 2017.

Officials said JuD's network also includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance service, and added that JuD and FIF have about 50,000 volunteers and hundreds of other paid workers.