Home Latest News Hafiz Saeed Claims India, U.S. Blocking Quake Relief

Hafiz Saeed Claims India, U.S. Blocking Quake Relief

by AFP
Aamir Qureshi—AFP

Aamir Qureshi—AFP

LeT founder alleges New Delhi and Washington are trying to block funding to his group to hamper relief efforts in earthquake-hit Balochistan.

The founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, has accused the U.S. and India of trying to hamper efforts to help victims of last month’s earthquake in Balochistan.

Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who has a $10 million U.S. government bounty on his head, said joint U.S.-Indian efforts to block funds for his Jamaat-ud-Dawaah (JuD) organization were aimed at stopping its relief work in Balochistan province.

JuD is seen as a front for Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT), which Saeed founded and which investigators blame for the three-day carnage in Mumbai that killed 166 people.

The United States and India agreed on Sunday to step up cooperation to prevent the financing of extremist movements linked to Pakistan, including JuD and LeT.

But JuD denies terror accusations, and in Pakistan is known for its relief work after natural disasters, particularly the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and 2010 floods.

“Their aim is to hamper the relief work of our charity Falah-e-Insaniyat foundation in the earthquake-hit Balochistan, that’s why they are trying to stop our funding,” Saeed told reporters.

The 7.7-magnitude quake shook Balochistan province on Sept. 24, killing more than 370 people and leaving more than 100,000 homeless. Both LeT and JuD are listed as terror organizations by the United Nations, but JuD operates freely in Pakistan and, despite the bounty on his head, Saeed lives openly.

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