spot_img

HinduPost is the voice of Hindus. Support us. Protect Dharma

Will you help us hit our goal?

spot_img
Hindu Post is the voice of Hindus. Support us. Protect Dharma
32.5 C
Sringeri
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Pakistan’s Habib Bank aided, abetted Al Qaeda: Report

Pakistan’s largest bank, Habib Bank Limited (HBL), faces secondary liabilities in a terror financing case in the US in which the plaintiffs had alleged that it aided and abetted Al Qaeda terrorism and joined a conspiracy to launch attacks that killed or injured 370 people, a media report said on Thursday.

Judge Lorna G. Schofield observed that bank faces the liabilities under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act as a party that “aids and abets, by knowingly providing substantial assistance, or who conspires with the person who committed such an act of international terrorism”, Dawn news quoted the Bloomberg report as saying.

The Bloomberg report quoted the judge as saying that the plaintiffs in three consolidated cases “sufficiently” alleged that the attacks were planned or authorised by a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organisation’ such as the Al Qaeda or syndicates Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Afghan Taliban, including the Haqqani Network, and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

“The plaintiffs sufficiently allege that the bank knew its customers were integral to al-Qaeda’s overall campaign of terrorism, carried out directly and by proxy, which is sufficient to allege general awareness.

“The complaints also show that the bank knowingly and substantially helped al-Qaeda and its proxies evade sanctions and engage in terrorist acts, which satisfies the eknowing assistance’ requirement,” the judge said.

Judge Schofield said the allegations were sufficient to show that HBL “joined in a conspiracy to commit the attacks”.

However, she turned down the plaintiffs’ claims of primary liability because none of the alleged banking services provided by HBL “were themselves acts of international terrorism”, the report added.

Prior to this, HBL had agreed to pay a fine of $225 million, the largest ever imposed upon a Pakistani bank by regulatory authorities, in 2017 for various violations of New York’s regulatory provisions, Dawn news reported.

The bank had also agreed to surrender its licence to operate a branch in New York and unwind its operations there.

The branch had been operational since 1978.

In a strongly worded release issued at the time, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) of New York State had harshly castigated the bank and added that it “will not stand by and let Habib Bank sneak out of the US without holding it accountable for putting the integrity of the financial services industry and the safety of our nation at risk”.

HBL had become the target of an enforcement action by DFS for 53 separate violations allegedly committed between 2007 and 2017.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline)

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram &  YouTube. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Related Articles

1 COMMENT

  1. Pakistan is and as always it has been a terrorist country. Because of Afghan conundrum and Al Qaeda episode, US has to keep a diplomatic relation with Pakistan which is also a non-NATO ally. Under the umbrella of US protection, Pakistan supported and nurtured a number of terrorist organizations (e.g. Hizbuls, LeTs, TTP Khorasan) to set them upon Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban (The 34 Durand Line has always been a bone of contention between Afghanistan and Pakistan) and India to seize Indian part of Kashmir. So little wonder why PAK will support financially Al Qaeda terrorists who make recruit from Pak-based terrorists.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Articles

Sign up to receive HinduPost content in your inbox
Select list(s):

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Thanks for Visiting Hindupost

Dear valued reader,
HinduPost.in has been your reliable source for news and perspectives vital to the Hindu community. We strive to amplify diverse voices and broaden understanding, but we can't do it alone. Keeping our platform free and high-quality requires resources. As a non-profit, we rely on reader contributions. Please consider donating to HinduPost.in. Any amount you give can make a real difference. It's simple - click on this button:
By supporting us, you invest in a platform dedicated to truth, understanding, and the voices of the Hindu community. Thank you for standing with us.