JuD lawyers to appeal in UN, move Pakistani courts

Islamabad, Dec 15 (IANS) The Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) says it will appeal in the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee against restrictions on its head Hafiz Muhammad Sayeed and also move Pakistani courts to protest the crackdown on its leaders and the sealing of its offices.

'All these actions are illegal as they are without any proof.

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.. we have repeatedly said that the JuD has no link with the Al Qaeda or any terrorist organisation,' said Abdullah Muntazir, spokesperson of the group that is widely seen as a front for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

He said several of the group's leaders had been arrested in almost all major cities and police had sealed all their offices. 'It is strange that the government has acted without any proof,' Muntazir told IANS.

The group's lawyers, he said, were preparing to appeal in the UN Sanctions Committee against restrictions on Saeed. Another panel of lawyers would file a case in a Pakistani court.

A JuD activist in Islamabad added that many leaders had gone underground to avoid arrest. 'Police is continuing raids against our workers and office bearers but they have gone underground,' he told IANS on condition of anonymity.

Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon said the JuD could appeal the decision of the committee.

'It is not the end of the road for the affected JuD leaders, including its chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and others,' Haroon said in a press conference to defend himself against charges in the Pakistani media that the mission as also the country was taken by surprise by the Security Council's decision to designate the JuD and its leaders as terrorists.

The crackdown against the JuD started last week after the committee announced restrictions against Saeed and other activists of the LeT, suspected to be involved in the Nov 26-28 Mumbai terror attack.