Punjab freezes Rs23.4bn assets of proscribed group, blocks 92 bank accounts

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz chaired a high-level meeting on law and order on Wednesday, during which authorities briefed her on major actions taken against a proscribed extremist outfit, ARY News reported.

Officials informed the meeting that assets worth Rs23.4 billion belonging to office-bearers of the banned organisation have been frozen. In Lahore alone, 92 bank accounts and all associated digital wallets have been blocked. Cases have also been registered against nine key financiers of the group, the briefing added.

The chief minister was told that security agencies recovered modern illegal weapons, thousands of rounds of ammunition, bulletproof jackets and other equipment during raids on the outfit’s locations. Maryam Nawaz directed that the ongoing combing operations should continue “without any interruption.”

Authorities further reported that 31 FIRs have been lodged across Lahore over the sharing of anti-state content on social media. The Punjab government has also decided to request the federal authorities to initiate similar action against the banned group in other provinces.

The meeting was informed that over 61,000 registration forms had been distributed to mosques and clerics across Punjab, with more than 50,000 imams submitting their details voluntarily. Officials said that the registration process has reached 82% completion, a development that the chief minister expressed satisfaction over.

Maryam Nawaz directed that imams must not be harassed and should be treated with respect. “Imams lead prayers; we do not want to see them forced to collect donations by stretching out their hands,” she remarked.

The chief minister reiterated that wall chalking will not be tolerated anywhere in Punjab and called for continuous enforcement measures to ensure the ban remains effective.

Given recent security concerns, particularly following the incident in Islamabad, Maryam Nawaz instructed authorities to further enhance surveillance. She also issued orders for district-level drone monitoring, including the use of drones to detect incidents of harassment.

Additionally, the provincial government has taken a principled decision to formulate SOPs for carrying firearms in Punjab.