`JuD cannot collect Eid-ul-Azha hides`

Lahore: Pakistani authorities have informed a court that the Jamaat-ud-Dawah it is not allowed to collect the hides of sacrificial animals as the group was listed as a terrorist organisation under a United Nations Security Council resolution in 2008.

The Punjab Home Department informed the Lahore High Court on Monday that the JuD was barred from collecting hides on the instructions of the federal Interior Ministry. The instructions were part of security arrangements for the Eid-ul-Azha, when a large number of animals are sacrificed. Every year, the JuD collects thousands of hides and sells them to tanneries to raise funds for its activities. The JuD was named a front for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba on December 10, 2008 in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks. In a written reply submitted to Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial, the Home Department said the Interior Ministry had issued a code of conduct for collecting the hides of sacrificial animals. Under this code, all organisations are required to obtain a certificate from the district administration chief and the district police chief for collecting hides. It said the Interior Ministry had issued a list of proscribed organisations and said that they should not be allowed to collect hides. "Since the JuD is enlisted under the United Nations Security Council Resolution since Dec 10, 2008, it is not allowed to collect the hides," the reply stated. The Home Department asked the court to dismiss a petition filed by the JuD, which asked the court to allow it to collect hides. The Chief Justice adjourned the hearing and directed the JuD`s counsel to submit his rejoinder to the Home Department`s reply. The JuD had contended that the ban on collecting hides was a violation of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. PTI