Amid mounting pressure from the global community, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry on Tuesday said terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar’s brother Mufti Abdul Rauf and son Hamaz Azhar have been taken into preventive detention.
The two are among 44 members of banned groups that have been detained.
“It was decided to speed up action against all proscribed organisations. In compliance, 44 under-observation members of proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Rauf and Hamaz Azhar, have been taken in preventive detention for investigation,” the Pakistan government said in a statement.
“These actions will continue, as per the decisions taken in National Security Committee (NSC), while reviewing National Action Plan,” the statement added.
This action comes a day after Pakistan promulgated a law to streamline the procedure for the implementation of the UN sanctions against individuals and organisations.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal, interpreting the order said it means that the government has taken over the control of assets and properties of all banned outfits operating in the country.
Pakistan is on a deadline fixed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international organisation that works to stop terror funding, to crack down on terror groups and their supporters who are running free in the country.