Pakistan cracks down on terror-linked charity

Muzaffarabad: Pakistan shut offices and arrested scores of activists of a charity, officials said on Friday, as international pressure mounted for firm action against militants blamed for the Mumbai attacks.

The overnight raids came after Pakistan said it would abide by a UN decision placing Hafiz Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, on its terrorism sanctions list of people and organisations linked to Al Qaida and the Taliban.

Saeed, who founded Lashkar in 1990 and officially left the group in 2001 just days before Pakistan banned it, has been put under house arrest, according to one of his spokesmen. Three associates were also added to the UN list and will be subject to sanctions.

An intelligence official said Maulana Masood Azhar, head of the Jaish-e-Mohammad group blamed with Lashkar for a 2001 attack on India's parliament, was also detained.

In Mumbai, thousands of people formed a human chain starting from sites of terror attacks and going on for miles.