Bashiruddin, who worked for Pakistan’s Atomic Energy Commission, had also met Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. He was conferred the Sitara-e-Imtiaz (third highest civilian honour in Pakistan) by the government of Nawaz Sharif.
Both the US and UN sanctioned Bashiruddin and the radical Ummah Tameer-e-Nau in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. He now lives freely in Pakistan.
Sources said Pakistan intends to pay him Rs 1.5 lakh a month to cover his basic expenses – Rs 60,000 for food, Rs 60,000 for medicines, Rs 20,000 for public utility charge, and Rs 10,000 for transportation.
In August 2019, the 1267 committee had approved Pakistan’s request to permit Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed to use his bank account for “basic expenses”.