Pakistan Requests UN Security Council To Unfreeze Hafiz Saeed’s Account For “Necessary Basic Living Expenses”

Pakistan has approached United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to request allowing Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed to withdraw money from one of his frozen accounts for “necessary basic living expenses”.

The Islamic republic told the UNSC committee that one of the bank accounts frozen on UNSC’s orders was one where his pension is deposited by the Paskitan government. Saeed draws a pension for being a college professor before he started devoting his full-time to Islamist activities.

The bank account was blocked by the Government of Pakistan under compliance with UNSC resolution 1267 after the globally designated terrorist was banned by the Security Coucil for his role in masterminding 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in which more than 160 people lost their lives.

Pakistan requested an asset freeze exemption on Saeed's behalf to access frozen funds in the amount of Rs 1.5 lakh (USD 1000 or INR 68,000) to cover the “necessary basic living expenses for himself and his family”.

India noted that Pakistani efforts to get Saeed a megre amount of Rs 1.5 Pakistani Rupees shows the nexus between Islamabad and jihadists in the country and the significant clout that the radical Islamist preacher holds in the security establishment.

Others content that it is a “hugely symbolic move” to portray Saeed as an innocent college professor with a family to support, who was falsely accused by India of masterminding the Mumbai attacks.

Pakistan identified a wife and three kids dependant on 69-year-old Hafiz Saeed- wife Iffat Idrees, 42, two sons Ismael, 10, and Shoaib, 8, and daughter Sumaiyyah, 6. Another son, Hafiz Talha Saeed sends Rs 1 lakh to his father for support in the same account.

The country requested UNSC to allow Saeed to withdraw Rs 50,000 a month from the account.