Pakistan for the first time admitted that Hafiz Saeed led Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) is a terrorist organization on Monday and banned media coverage of other organizations affiliated to the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Hafiz Saeed is believed to be the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks according to intelligence agencies. India has been demanding his extradition for his alleged role in the terror attacks, which claimed the lives of 166 people. Last year, the media had reported that Hafiz Saeed was hatemongering on the streets of Pakistan making anti-India statements.
Under UN restrictions and as part of a national action plan, the media regulatory body The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued a warning to all satellite TV channels and FM radio to stop giving coverage to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF).
The media has also been restricted from running advertisements of these organizations, which claim to do social work.
This comes against the backdrop of Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with US President Barack Obama in October where the former promised ‘effective action’ against UN-listed terror organizations.
The UN had declared JuD as a terror organization in 2008 while the US has put a $10 million bounty on Saeed’s head.