Pakistani charity among Bush's list of terror groups

One of the Pakistani groups whose assets were frozen by the US President yesterday has insisted that it has no links with terrorism.

The Al-Rashid Trust was among 27 entities whose assets in the US were frozen as part of America’s so-called "war against terrorism".

However, in a statement released today, the trust said: "We are purely a humanitarian organisation and have nothing to do with terrorism. Our mission is to serve humanity."

The Al-Rashid Trust is a leading Islamic charity operating in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

It provides subsidised food to at least 300,000 impoverished Afghans and runs health and education programmes throughout the country.

When Afghanistan’s Taliban Government clashed with the UN World Food Programme earlier this year over a poverty survey in the country, the Al-Rashid Trust offered its services as a replacement for the UN.

Despite yesterday’s move by the US Government, the trust has said it has no assets in the United States and will be unaffected by the freeze.

However, it does have a network of offices in Pakistan and collects millions of pounds in donations from Pakistani civilians.

Yesterday, US President George W Bush said he will introduce sanctions against any country that refuses to freeze the assets of the 27 organisations on his list.

Pakistan has promised to help the US in its "war against terrorism", but it is unclear whether the country’s military rulers plan to crack down on the Al-Rashid Trust.