Pakistan bans Hafiz Saeed-led JuD and its charity wing FIF

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday banned the 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamat-ud-Dawa and its charity wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, amid intense global pressure to rein in the militant groups following the Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.

A spokesman of the Interior Ministry said that the decision to ban these groups was taken during a meeting of the National Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"It was decided during the meeting to accelerate action against proscribed organisations," the spokesperson said in a statement.

"It was further decided that Jamat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation be notified as proscribed organizations by the Ministry of Interior," he added.

Earlier, the two outfits were kept on the watchlist of the interior ministry. According to officials, JuD's network includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance service. The two groups have about 50,000 volunteers

and hundreds of other paid workers.