ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday categorically dismissed reports of unfreezing the bank accounts of UN sanctioned individuals, saying that ‘targeted financial sanctions’ on the persons were still in place.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui termed ‘factually incorrect and misleading” the news item published in an English daily on Sunday (July 12) that claimed restoration of the bank accounts of top five leaders of defunct Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba, including Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.

“The bank accounts belonging to the UN Designated Persons have not been unfrozen by Pakistan. The targeted financial sanctions, on the UN Designated Persons, including freezing of their bank accounts are in place and being strictly monitored, in compliance with the UN sanctions,” the spokesperson said.

She mentioned that UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee had granted basic expense exemptions to the designated individuals in 2019, in accordance with the exemption provisions of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

“The exemptions were granted to allow these individuals to meet their basic expenses and do not involve any restoration or unfreezing of the bank accounts. These exemptions are being enforced and monitored as per law,” she added.

The spokesperson expressed the hope that “due care would be taken in ascertaining facts with relevant government departments before filing such reports in the future”.—APP