The US treasury Tuesday imposed sanctions on four leaders of the Pakistan-based militant group, 'Lashkar-e-Tayyeba', describing the group "a murderous al-Qaeda affiliate".
The group had changed the name of 'Lashkar-e-Tayyeba' to 'Jamaat Al-Dawaa' after it was banned by Pakistan in 2002.
The United Nations also banned the group for its links with Al-Qaeda in 2005.
The U.S government claims the group had carried out attacks against military and civilian targets in India since 1993.
Among the four men targeted is Mohammad Saeed, described by the U.S treasury as the group's leader.
The others include Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, said to be chief of operations, and Haji Muhammad Ashraf. The treasury says the two run its finances.
The fourth man is Mahmoud Mohammad Ahmed Bahaziq who the US alleges is a major Lashkar financier.
"We challenge that the U.S can't prove in any court of the world that Hafiz Saeed or other Jamaat Al-Dawaa activists are involved in terrorism", spokesman for the group Yahya Mujahid said in a statement.
He said Hafiz Saeed and other Al-Dawaa leaders have no assets in the U.S and the economic curbs would not affect them. He said the U.S treasury statement is based on enmity against Islam, lack of knowledge and ignorance.
He said Jamaat Al-Dawat would continue its struggle of serving humanity without accepting any pressure.
Source: IRNA
