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| India-Pakistan |
| Government launches action against Al-Amin Trust |
| 2008-12-15 |
| The federal government has launched a crackdown against Al-Amin Trust (AAT), sealing 24 offices and freezing its bank accounts across the country, sources told Daily Times on Sunday. The sources said that according to a notification issued on Sunday to all the provinces, the federal Interior Ministry ordered the sealing of all AAT offices as well as seizing its accounts and licensed weapons. However, no arrests were made nor any weapons recovered, they added. I'm so surprised. Senior Superintendent of Police Sohail Zafar Chatta confirmed sealing the AAT head office in Karachi. The AAT has three other offices in Karachi and 20 in 15 other cities. "All of our offices have been sealed and bank accounts seized," AAT spokesman Muhammad Abdullah told Daily Times. "As for the recovery of weapons, we do not have any arms," he added. Abdullah said the AAT ambulance service had also been stopped. He said the organisation was engaged in welfare and relief activities. "We are still trying to figure out why the government has taken this step," he said. "We will appeal in the court to challenge the imposition of the ban because we were never involved in any immoral activity and our relief and other activities in Pakistan are being affected following this step." Sources disclosed AAT was the new name of Al-Rasheed Trust (ART), which was established in 1996 by Mufti Rasheed Ahmed. After Rasheed's death in 2003, Mufti Abdul Raheem took over the charge. ART was renamed as AAT when the previous government banned it. They further said ART was involved in financially supporting Taliban in the Tribal Areas and treating injured Taliban. They said AAT had a nationwide network and ran many organisations including Islam Welfare Foundation, Pakistan Blood Bank and Al-Aziz ambulance service. Abdullah denied the organisation had any link to ART. However, he said, AAT drew inspiration from ART. A private TV channel reported Lahore police also sealed three AAT offices. |
| Posted by:Fred |