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Forum warned against raising funds for Maudany

DUBAI: Authorities in Bahrain have threatened to take legal action against an organisation which is allegedly raising funds for People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Abdul Nasir Maudany. Director of Bahrain’s Social Development Ministry Najva Janahi has warned that the Anvaarul Islam Cultural Forum (AICF) should not hold its proposed meeting on Friday, apparently to raise funds for Mr. Maudany.

Mr. Maudany was arrested in Kerala in March 1998 in connection with the Coimbatore bomb blasts. He was, however, acquitted of these charges last year due to lack of evidence.

Gulf Daily News, a Bahrain daily, quoted Ms. Janahi as saying that legal action can be taken against the AICF as it is not registered by the Social Development Ministry. Without registration, the organisation is barred from raising funds.

“They (AICF) are not allowed to hold any meeting. That will be illegal. The organisers and participants will be prosecuted and they even stand the risk of losing jobs and being deported,” Ms. Janahi observed. The AICF can be granted a licence to operate in Bahrain, but only after it has been subjected to “thorough scrutiny.”

Notwithstanding the warning, a member of the AICF advisory committee, N. Saleem, has said that the group would go ahead with Friday’s meeting. “We checked with other associations who confirmed it was okay to hold the first meeting before being registered,” he said.

“We have not approached the ministry, but we will do so after our first meeting,” Mr. Saleem said, adding that the aim of AICF was to bring together Mr. Maudany’s supporters on a common platform. “The forum is all about charity,” he maintained.

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