Lashkar boss Hafiz Saeed may walk out of jail post FATF meet

New Delhi, Feb 15: The sentencing of Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief Hafiz Saeed may just be a ploy to avoid getting black-listed by the Financial Action Task Force. There is a chance that he may be released after the FATF plenary.

The FATF is meeting on February 16 to decide on whether Pakistan remains in the Grey List or will be downgraded to the Black List. Saeed was sentenced to 11 years in jail in connection with two terror funding cases. Saeed's counsel claimed that there were several loopholes and his client was being jailed only because of pressure from the FATF.

Indian officials tell OneIndia that they are assessing the decision by the Pakistan court.

The official cited also informed OneIndia there is every chance that Saeed may walk out of jail once the FATF session is over. The officer also said that Pakistan has to show more seriousness in the 26/11 trial and bring Saeed to justice.

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Wednesday sentenced Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed to 11 years in jail in terror financing cases.
A court official said that Saeed was sentenced in two terror financing cases in Punjab province.

The anti-terrorism court or ATC had indicted Saeed and his close aides on December 11 in terror financing case in day-to-day hearing.

The court sentenced Saeed to five and a half years and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 in each case. The sentences of both cases will run concurrently.

The cases were registered against Saeed in Lahore and Gujranwala cities on the application of the Counter Terrorism Department of Punjab police.

Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice.