India expresses surprise over Pak statement on Saeed

New Delhi, Mar7 (PTI) Expressing "surprise" over
Pakistan's claim that the issue of arrest of Hafiz Saeed, one
of the 26/11 masterminds, was not taken up during Foreign
Secretary-level talks, India Sunday said it has been demanding
action against him since the barbaric and dastardly attacks in
Mumbai and the matter was raised "strongly" during the
parleys.
"Saeed's activities including his recent vitriolic and
venomous statements aimed at fomenting further acts of
terrorism against India and the unhindered public space and
freedom he enjoys in Pakistan was raised strongly by India
during the Foreign Secretary-level talks," External Affairs
Ministry spokesman said in a statement here.
Talking to reporters in Multan, Pakistan Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had claimed that India never
demanded the arrest of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Saeed nor
discussed the issue at the talks between Foreign Secretary
Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir here
on February 25.
In response to queries regarding the reported
statement of Qureshi, the spokesman, while expressing
surprise, said that India has been demanding action against
Saeed, one of the masterminds of the Mumbai terrorist strikes,
since the barbaric and dastardly attacks took place.
"A dossier containing a compilation of evidence on the
involvement of Saeed in the terrorist attacks was handed over
to Pakistan on August 21, 2009 and his name featured
prominently in yet another dossier handed over to the Pakistan
Foreign Secretary during the talks on February 25, 2010," the
statement said. PTI