LAHORE: Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki, Hafiz Saeed’s brother-in-law and second in command of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, has been given the charge of the head of banned organisation after Saeed was put under the house arrest by Punjab government.

 “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.

Makki, who carries a USD 2 million bounty on his head, has led over half-a-dozen rallies in Lahore and elsewhere since the detention of Saeed.

Asked about reports that Saeed is still running the JuD from his house (which is declared sub-jail by the Punjab government) in Lahore, the JuD official denied saying, “Makki sahib is looking after all affairs of the organisation.”

The Punjab government on January 30 had put Saeed and four other leaders of JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat (FIF) under house arrest for a period of 90 days in exercise of powers under section 11-EEE(1) of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

Various offices of both JuD and FIF were closed following the house arrest of Saeed. Both organisations were also put on observation under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

JuD has rebranded under the new name of ‘Tehreek Azadi Jammu and Kashmir’, just days after Saeed’s house arrest.