ISLAMABAD: In a bid to curb terror financing, the Punjab government has booked a number of banned organisations for illegally collecting funds from the public.

The cases have been registered against Al-Rasheed Trust (Maymar Trust) and Al-Rehmat Trust in Multan, Ansarul Ummah, Sipa-i-Sahaba and Tehreek-i-Ghulbai-i-Islam in Bahawalpur and Jaish-e-Muhammad in Gujranwala. The accused involved in illegal collection of funds have been arrested and investigations are in progress.

The information was shared on Wednesday with a two-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja which had taken up a case relating to activities of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

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The matter cropped up during the June 23 hearing of a bail application of Haroonur Rashid who had been booked for alleged fraud in a business transaction. During the case, it emerged that the parties involved had invested in a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-based NGO ‘Baraan’ which was registered in Peshawar but had spread its activities to Tank, Bannu and D.I. Khan.

Consequently, the apex court asked for information about the steps the government had taken after Dec 24, 2014 – the day the National Action Plan (NAP) was prepared in consultations with all political parties against the backdrop of the Dec 16, 2014 massacre of children in Peshawar’s Army Public School – to curb extremism and militancy in the country.

A voluminous report submitted by Additional Advocate General of Punjab Razzaq A. Mirza on Wednesday said the provincial Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) was strictly monitoring activities of outlawed organisations and hardcore militants, including those mentioned in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, as well as their facilitators involved in raising and possessing funds for terrorism.

According to the report, the CTD has arrested a gang of 12 people found collecting funds for Jaish-e-Muhammad and Al-Rehmat Trust and confiscated ‘Jihadi’ literature and receipt books.

It said the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Punjab had also launched a crackdown on Hundi and Hawala operators across the province. Since January this year, its Commercial Banking Circle has handled nine cases under the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010. A challan has been submitted to the court in one case and investigations are in progress in eight other cases. An amount of Rs56.6 million has also been recovered.

The report said the FIA was investigating six suspicious transaction reports (STR) submitted by financial institutions through the Financial Monitoring Unit at the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The Punjab government, it said, was also determined not to allow the banned organisations to collect hides of sacrificial animals during the coming Eidul Azha, adding that divisional and district administrations and police had been issued directives in this regard.

The report said that 541 charity boxes placed by the banned or dubious organisations at public places or outlets in Punjab had been removed, adding that since January, 48 cases relating to terror financing had been registered under the ATA 1997. Seventy-three accused have been arrested and challans have been filed in courts in 38 cases. Four people have been convicted.

According to the report, 47,403 local and foreign NGOs, charitable organisations and religious institutions (Deeni Madaris) are registered with different departments of Punjab and a credible, verifiable and actionable database of these organisations are being developed.

The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), with the help of the CTD, Special Branch and district police, has completed census and geo-tagging of Deeni Madaris in Punjab registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1960.

For a uniform regulation of the 13,782 Deeni Madaris already geo-tagged, Punjab has suggested to the federal government for their registration under a uniform legal framework in line with the Punjab Private Educational Institutions (Promotion and Regulation) Ordinance, 1984.

Likewise, the report said, social welfare and Baitul Maal departments had completed a census of the NGOs registered under the Punjab Voluntary Social Welfare (Registration and Control) Ordinance, 1961. In the second phase already commenced from July 25, joint teams of the PITB, CTD, Special Branch and district police will undertake census of all NGOs and charitable institutions registered under any law as well as places of worship in Punjab.

Pursuant to the findings of the census of 7,516 NGOs, the report said, the Punjab government had formulated a comprehensive plan consisting of short- and medium-term measures for analysis and monitoring of their activities and funding and its use.

In this regard, the report said, the social welfare and Baitul Maal departments would immediately initiate the process of de-registration/dissolution of 3,309 dysfunctional NGOs under the Punjab Voluntary Social Welfare (Registration and Control) Ordinance, 1961. Other NGOs have been asked to submit their bank account numbers to both departments. The information will be shared with the SBP, FIA and intelligence agencies for analysis and monitoring, especially of suspicious transactions.

According to the reports, efforts are also being made for capacity building of the Punjab police and CTD to investigate cases involving financial crimes, suspicious financial transactions and money laundering.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2015

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