Pak does it again: 'JuD is only being watched not banned'

In the lead up to the talks between the National Security Advisors of India and Paksitan another point of contention has been raised and this time it is the Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

While there is absolutely no word from Pakistan on the dates for the NSA level talks after India had proposed August 23 and 24, Pakistan has instead gone ahead and told its senate that the JuD continues to remain under watch and there is no decision to ban it.

B Rehman, the interior minister for state in Pakistan told the senate that the JuD was being monitored for suspicious activity. The senate was also informed that in case of any suspicious activity reported, action would be taken.

A mere hog wash, says India:

Indian officials say that this is yet another hog wash by Pakistan. They had claimed that the outfit was banned after the 2008 attacks, but then it continued to flourish.

There is no meaning in placing the JuD under the watch list. We are all well aware of how much support the JuD receives from the Pakistan administration, the Indian officials said.

Whether the outfit is banned or is under the watch list, India will raise this issue during the talks with Pakistan. However, the official also added that there is no indication what so ever regarding the date of the talks and Paksitan only seems to be buying time on this.

The JuD eye-wash:

The JuD is the parent group of the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba. However in the year 2000, there was another parent group of the Lashkar which was known as the Markaz Dawa wal-Irshad. This was the group that carried out the charity work and raised funds for the Lashkar.

Those were early days of the Lashkar and the Markaz had played a vital role in funding it. However in the year 2002, the Markaz was banned for funding terror activities. Saeed immediately floated the JuD.

Following the 26/11 attack, investigators in India found the funding of the attack to have been carried out by the JuD. There was international pressure and this forced a ban on the JuD.

In fact the then interior minister, Rehman Malik had informed that the JuD had been banned with immediate effect. Although the statement sounded strong, Pakistan was not going to take any chances and directly confront the JuD.

It did not impose the ban directly but asked various authorities such as the UN to impose sanctions on the JuD.

Sealing of offices:

Paksitan's eye wash was evident in the year 2008. It sealed 100 offices of the JuD and even Saeed was placed under house arrest only to be released later.

During all this Pakistan made a shocking statement in which it stated that there was no need to issue any notification banning the JuD when the UN has already added it to the list of banned outfits.

Pakistan claimed that it had sealed the 200 acre campus of the JuD in Murdike. It also stated that an administrator in Pakistan had taken over the operational facility of the JuD. All this led to the JuD seeking legal recourse.

The petition drafted by top bureaucrats of Pakistan sought a directive to first release Saeed who was under house arrest. The court allowed the petition and in the days to come even the ban on the JuD was lifted.

The JuD has a sprawling campus at Murdike spread over 200 acres of land. It has teaching facilities catering to 3000 students and also residential complexes.