Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki, the brother-in-law of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, has been given the charge to head the terror outfit after the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 was placed under house arrest by the Pakistan government in January. He has also been put on the no-fly list.
"Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki, who is also the brother-in-law of Saeed, has officially been made head of JuD in the wake of house arrest of Saeed," a JuD official said on Sunday, the Press Trust of India reported.
Makki, who has a $2 million bounty on his head, was JuD's second in command, the official added. He also said that Makki took over the organisation soon after Saeed was placed under house arrest.
The official, however, denied reports that Saeed was still running the terrorist organisation from the Lahore jail, where he is currently placed under house arrest. "Makki sahib is looking after all affairs of the organisation," he said.
The new head of JuD has also led several rallies in Lahore and other locations following Saeed's detention.
Pakistan's Punjab government had put Saeed and four members of JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation — Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdur Rehman Abid, Qazi Kashif Hussain and Abdullah Ubaid — under house arrest under Anti-Terrorism Act.
They have also been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), which prohibits them from leaving the country and places their assets under scrutiny. Several offices of JuD and FIF were also closed and put under observation under the Act. However, the JuD rebranded itself under a new name - 'Tehreek Azadi Jammu and Kashmir' - a few days after Saeed's detention.
On Sunday, Makki also released a statement demanding immediate release of Saeed.
