Pakistan’s counter-terrorism forces have arrested theregional head of an international non-governmental organisation who is accusedof receiving huge sums in the name of charity and diverting them to Al-Qaeda.
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested Ali Nawaz,the regional head of Human Concern International, on the terror financingcharge under the Anti-Terrorism Act, Dawn reported, quoting a senior CTDofficial.
He has been accused of diverting the funds collected in thename of charity to Al Qaeda, the official added.
On Saturday, Nawaz was presented before an anti-terrorismcourt, which handed him over to the CTD for three days for furtherinterrogation.
According to the FIR, there were intelligence reports thatNawaz, Mohammad Farooq Awan, Shah Rum and Mohammad Naeem were providing fundsto terrorists.
It said that the CTD received a communique from the FederalInvestigation Agency against them, alleging that they were receiving huge sumsin the name of charity, which were being diverted to Al Qaeda to be used forterrorism.
It said that millions of rupees had been transacted from 11bank accounts of the charity and Nawaz was unable to provide satisfactoryanswers regarding these funds. The suspect was then booked under Section 11-Nof the ATA, 1997, the paper reported.
Representatives of the international non-governmentalorganisation were unavailable for comments when approached, the paper said.