The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on three individuals believed to be working with terrorist networks based in Pakistan. The US administration called on the governments of Pakistan and other South Asian countries to deny sanctuary to dangerous individuals and organisations.

The US has listed Rahman Zeb Faqir Muhammad, Hizb Ullah Astam Khan and Dilawar Khan Nadir Khan as Specially Designated Global Terrorists and prohibited American citizens from engaging in transactions with them.

“The US Treasury continues to aggressively pursue and expose radicals who support terrorist organisations and run illicit financial networks across South Asia,” said Sigal Mandelker, US Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. “We are targeting operatives who have provided logistical support, improvised explosive devices and other technological assistance to Al-Qa’ida, Lashkar-e Tayyiba, the Taliban, and other terrorist groups.”

Muhammad was designated a terrorist for providing financial, material or technological support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the US Department of the Treasury said in a statement. The State Department had designated LeT as a “terrorist organisation” in December 2001.

Hizb Ullah Astam Khan and Dilawar Khan Nadir Khan are accused of having links with Shaykh Aminullah, who was named in the international terror blacklist in 2009. The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Aminullah for providing material support to the Al-Qaeda, LeT and the Taliban in July 2009.

In August 2017, US President Donald Trump had criticised Pakistan for providing shelter to terrorists. In July 2017, the US had blocked $350 million (Rs 2,23,433 lakh) in aid to Pakistan for not taking enough action against the Haqqani network.

On January 1, Trump had claimed that Pakistan had given his country nothing but “lies and deceit” in return for $33 billion (Rs 2.10 lakh crore) in aid over the past 15 years.