Pakistani extremist group gets court backing

An extremist Islamic group in Pakistan has gained court backing.

Sindh High Court in Karachi ruled that the previously banned al-Rashid Trust could reopen its offices.

The court had previously banned the organisation, but the Pakistani government lawyers failed to produce an order implementing this.

The court subsequently ruled that, since the order had not been produced, al-Rashid Trust could resume its activities.

The organisation's 28 offices around the country were sealed by the government in February, with the government saying the UN had called for the action.

In 2001, US President George Bush named the group as a sponsor of al-Qaeda.

In the same year the trust's accounts were frozen by the State Bank of Pakistan.

But an appeal from the group overturned that order ? setting a precedent for later court backing.

The trust says it has no links with militant activity and is only engaged in humanitarian activities.

It publishes an Islamic newspaper, Zarb-e-Momin.