Islamabad, September 22
Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed, accused of masterminding the Mumbai attacks, is “in custody” of Pakistani authorities. This was announced by Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today but did not make it clear whether Saeed has been arrested.
Asked by reporters if Saeed had been arrested, Gilani replied: “The Interior Ministry can tell you the actual position but I believe he is in custody.”
“A decision on his case will be taken on the basis of laws and evidence (against him),” Gilani, who spoke in Urdu, said in his hometown of Multan.
Gilani also said Pakistan is conducting an investigation into the Mumbai incident “in an honest manner.”
“Action will be taken on the basis of evidence that we get and I want to assure you that Pakistan will not allow any terrorist to use its soil and no one will be given an opportunity to carry out terrorist activities directed against another country from Pakistan,” he said.
The Lahore police imposed restrictions on Saeed’s movements on Sunday night. Though no formal written order has been issued to detain Saeed or restrict his movements, Lahore police chief Pervaiz Rathore yesterday said the JuD chief was “under house arrest.”
Pakistan’s action against Saeed came days after police in Faisalabad city registered two cases against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act for inciting people to wage ‘jehad’ and seeking funds for his banned group.
Observers have said that it is significant that Pakistani police have registered cases against Saeed under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. In the past, Saeed has been detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, which allows authorities to detain people for up to 90 days without any charges.
Saeed was put under house arrest under the MPO in December last year after the UN Security Council declared the JuD a terrorist organisation.
He was freed on the orders of the Lahore High Court in June.
— PTI
