Restoration of Hafiz Saeed, aides bank accounts: FO terms reports incorrect and misleading

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday rejected the reports as "factually incorrect and misleading" in which it was claimed that Pakistan has restored the bank accounts of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed along with his four aides who are on the United Nations' sanctions list.

"The bank accounts belonging to the UN Designated Persons have not been unfrozen by Pakistan," said Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui, while responding to media queries, adding that the reports about the restoration of bank accounts of UN Designated Persons is factually incorrect and misleading.

She said that the targeted financial sanctions, on the UN Designated Persons, including freezing of their bank accounts are in place and being strictly monitored, in compliance with the UN sanctions.

She said that the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee had granted basic expense exemptions to the designated individuals in 2019, in accordance with the exemption provisions of the relevant UNSC resolutions provided for in the relevant UNSC resolutions.

"The exemptions were granted to allow these individuals to meet their basic expenses and do not involve any restoration or unfreezing of the bank accounts. These exemptions are being enforced and monitored as per law," she asserted.

It is hoped that due care would be taken in ascertaining facts with relevant government departments before filing such reports in the future.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020