JuD chief Saeed set free by Lahore High Court

M Zulqernain

Lahore, Jun 2 (PTI) In a setback to the 26/11 probe,
banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed, suspected to be
the mastermind behind the audacious Mumbai terror attacks, was
Tuesday set free by the Lahore High Court nearly six months
after he was put under house arrest.

A three-member bench of the Lahore High Court freed
Saeed after hearing arguments by the JuD chief's counsel A K
Dogar, who contended that there was no evidence of his
involvement and that his detention violated Pakistan's
constitution and laws.

The three-judge bench, hearing the case, said it will
give a detailed order later.

Alongwith 59-year-old Saeed, his close aide Col (retd)
Nazir Ahmed, was also freed.

Saeed was put under house arrest on December 11 last
year after the UN Security Council banned JUD, declaring it a
front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is blamed by India for the
November 26 Mumbai attacks that killed over 160 people.

Dogar, who addressed the bench for about 45 minutes,
said the UN Security Council had only sought a freeze on the
JuD's assets and a travel ban on its leaders and the world
body had not demanded the arrest of JuD leaders.

"Under the Pakistan Constitution, a detenu has to be
given grounds for his arrest within 15 days. If it is not
done, the detention is malicious and void," he said.

Saeed and several other JuD leaders were placed under
house arrest in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks but
most of them were subsequently freed.
A judicial review board of the Lahore High Court had
recently extended the detention of Saeed, also the founder of
the Lashker-e-Taiba, and Ahmed by two months till July 8.

Five LeT activists, including Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and
Zarar Shah, are currently being tried by an anti-terrorism
court in Rawalpindi for alleged involvement in the Mumbai
attacks.

India has handed over three sets of dossiers on the
26/11 Mumbai attacks and also responded to the clarifications
sought by Islamabad.

In the dossier handed over in January this year, New
Delhi had given the statement of Mohammed Ajmal Iman Kasab,
the lone arrested terrorist in 26/11 attack, in which he
described the role of the JuD Chief.

The latest dossier was handed over by New Delhi on May
20 which includes certified copy of the DNA report and
statement of Kasab before the court.

Saeed has been named in the chargesheet filed by Mumbai
police in connection with the 26/11 probe.
During an earlier hearing of Saeed's petition
challenging his detention, Pakistan's Attorney General Latif
Khosa had told the court that the government had evidence that
showed the JuD's "prima facie links" with Al Qaida.PTI ZH
AM
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