Lahore court adjourns hearing in terror financing case against Hafiz Saeed

A Lahore's anti-terrorism court adjourned the hearing in terror financing case against Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed till Monday as arguments of the defence and the prosecution could not be completed on Friday. Saeed and others were produced in the high-security Anti-Terrorism Court- I (ATC), after which a marathon session of arguments in favour and against Saeed and his three close aides was held.

"Advocates Naseeruddin Nayyar and Imran Fazal Gull representing Saeed and Deputy Prosecutor General Punjab Abdur Rauf presented their arguments for about six hours regarding terror financing charges against Saeed and his close aides -- Professor Zafar Iqbal, Muhammad Ashram and Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad," a court official told PTI after the hearing on Friday. He said Saeed's lawyers and the deputy prosecution could not complete their arguments. The court adjourned the day-to-day hearing till Monday.

On Tuesday last, Saeed recorded his statement before the court in two terror financing cases against him in Lahore and Gujranwala in which he pleaded "not guilty". In response to a questionnaire handed to him by the Anti-Terrorism Court Lahore, Saeed dismissed all charges against him and pleaded not guilty.

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The cases of terror financing have been registered against him in Lahore and Gujranwala cities on the application of Counter Terrorism Department of Punjab police. Cross examination of prosecution witnesses against the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and his three close aides by the defense counsel has already been concluded.

The prosecution had produced a number of witnesses against Saeed. The ATC had indicted Saeed and others on December 11 in terror financing case. The Counter Terrorism Department registered 23 FIRs against Saeed and his accomplices on the charges of terror financing in different cities of Punjab province and arrested him on July 17. He is held at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.

Saeed-led JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

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