The government formally took control of the main operational facility of the banned Jamaatud Dawa in Muridke near Lahore on Sunday.Lahore Division Commissioner Khusro Pervaiz visited the 'Markaz-e-Taiba' institution with Sheikhupura's deputy inspector general of police, the district police officer, the district coordination officer and officials of the Auqaf Department. He met the mohtamim (manager) of the facility and later appointed a grade-19 District Management Group (DMG) officer, Khaqan Babar, to supervise the social, charitable and welfare projects. The new in-charge said the move was aimed at ensuring the beneficiaries of the charity would not be affected by the ban.
That'd be the Widows and Orphans Ammunition Fund...
Salman Ejaz, a senior official in the Punjab province, told the Associated Press that all assets and properties of the charity in the province were now under the government's control. Most of the assets, offices and operations of the group are in Punjab. "The government has appointed an officer as administrator for all the assets," Ejaz said. "The schools and hospitals will keep on working as they are."
Ejaz said the administrator and other officials would try to gauge and map out the extent of the charity's operations -- especially
Jamaatud Dawa official Khalid "Sonny" Walid, son-in-law of its founder Hafiz Saeed, confirmed the takeover while talking to AFP, and said Babar would "look after the administrative and financial matters of the schools and hospital in Muridke".
Jamaatud Dawa is one of Pakistan's biggest charities, but it is also widely seen as the political wing of the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which India says was behind the attacks on Mumbai in late November. Indian officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Sunday. Pakistan has urged India to allow a joint investigation into the attacks.
Pakistan's Interior Ministry has said that 71 leaders of Laskhar and Dawa had been arrested while another 124 were put under surveillance. Authorities have also said they closed 20 offices, 94 schools, two libraries and six websites linked to the charity, while shutting down more than a dozen relief camps, some of which are alleged to be militant training grounds.