Banned jihadi groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad get their money-trains back online: Report

Islamabad, Feb 4 (ANI): Banned jihadi groups, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad, have seen a revival after affiliates started opening local and foreign currency accounts to restart their money-trains.

BBC Urdu reported that it had managed to obtain a list of jihadi groups which have been banned by Pakistan from intelligence agencies, that have been opening new accounts under pseudonyms to receive funds from local as well as foreign sources, The Express Tribune reports.

According to the report, intelligence agencies have been monitoring Jihadi groups, as blacklisted by the Government of Pakistan.

According to the report, the funds have been traced to some groups involved in terrorist activities. They also include groups, which appear to work for social welfare. However, due to their links with extremist groups, they too are being blacklisted.

Intelligence agencies have expressed their fear that following the reopening of their cash lines, these extremist groups are once again gathering momentum, the paper quoted the report, as saying.

Interior Ministry sources said that as per reports from intelligence agencies, seven banned groups have been opening accounts in different banks.

The groups include the Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Tehreek-i-Islami, the Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan, the Ghazi force, the Hizbut Tahrir, the Jamiatul Furqan, and the Khairunissa International Trust.

The reports claimed that people linked to these groups were using local and foreign currency accounts.

After reviewing the reports, the interior ministry had alerted banking circles of the investigative agencies and related authorities to collect details of such accounts from different banks, especially those with large transactions, and with foreign currencies.

Pakistan has frozen accounts of 24 banned groups, including the seven named by intelligence agencies in the leaked report. (ANI)