New Delhi, July 4: A day after authorities in Pakistan lodged 23 cases against Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed for terror financing, India on Thursday called the move a "cosmetic step". India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said nobody should get fooled by Pakistan's assurance that Hafiz Saeed and 12 of his close aides will be arrested "very soon".

"Let us not get fooled by cosmetic steps against terror groups by Pakistan," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters. "Pakistan's sincerity to take action against terror groups will be on their basis to demonstrate verifiable action, not on the basis of half-hearted steps to hoodwink international community. We want a normal relationship in an environment free from terror," he added. JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed Not Allowed to Lead Eid-ul-Fitr Prayers at His 'Favourite' Venue in Lahore.

On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) booked Hafiz Saeed and a dozen of his aides in nearly two dozen cases of terror financing and money laundering, days ahead of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to the US. The cases were registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 in five cities of Punjab. They are accused of collecting funds for terror activities under the guise of charities.

The CTD declared that the JuD was financing terrorism from the massive funds collected through non-profit organisations and trusts, including Al-Anfaal Trust, Dawatul Irshad Trust and Muaz Bin Jabal Trust, the Dawn reported on Thursday. The move comes ahead of Imran Khan's upcoming five-day visit to the US from July 20, during which he will hold talks with US President Donald Trump.

Last month, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) slammed Pakistan for failing to do enough to check terror financing and warned of action if it does not comply with the requirements in four months. The FATF has already placed Pakistan in the 'Grey' list (watch list) and runs the risk of being blacklisted, after which the country can be denied aid by international bodies.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 04, 2019 05:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).