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| India-Pakistan |
| Inquiry begins into banned groups' finances |
| 2002-08-05 |
| The Federal Investigation Agency is learnt to have initiated a thorough investigation into the financial affairs of all banned organisations and the Taliban across the country. Sources in the interior ministry told Dawn that while other intelligence agencies were already gathering the details of bank accounts of the banned sectarian and Jihadi organisations, the FIA was assigned to locate and identify the financiers and donors of these organisations. They said the FIA had started gathering details of the accounts maintained by Lashkar-i-Taiba, Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, Harkatul Mujahideen, Al-Rashid Trust, Al-Badar, Saif-ul-Mujahideen, Tehreek-i-Jafferia Pakistan and Jaish Mohammed. The sources said each proscribed organisation had been maintaining several local and foreign currencies accounts with different nationalised and commercial banks, including Habib Bank, National Bank, Allied Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank and Faysal Bank. Muslim Commercial Bank is mostly owned by the Government of Pakistan. Habib Bank has 35 branches internationally, and is headed by Reza Habib. Chairman of the Board of Faysal Bank is H.R.H Prince Mohamed Al Faisal Al Saud. National Bank is a Pakistani financial institution, headed by Ali Reza. Probably the banks involved have no significance, as the Bad Guys likely dummy up their accounts in a most confusing manner. What will be significant is the amount of cooperation the PakFeds get from the banks... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |