Saeed release: Oppn targets govt in LS

New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) With Islamabad allowing Mumbai
attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed to walk free, Government on
Tuesday came in for sharp attack in the Lok Sabha (Lower House
of Indian Parliament) from almost the entire opposition which
said it had exposed India's handling of the issue of terror
emanating from Pakistan.

National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Samajwadi Party (SP)
and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) came together in the House to
demand a statement by Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh
or Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna over the
"serious development" which had hurt "India's self-respect"
but when no assurance came, they staged a walkout.

The issue of indefinite postponement of the hearing of
Saeed, chief of Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) outfit, by Pakistan's
Supreme Court on Monday was raised by SP chief Mulayam Singh
Yadav during Zero Hour and it found instant support from
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, Janata Dal-United
(JD-U) and RJD.

Demanding an immediate response from the government on
the development, members from these parties created an uproar
leading to adjournment of the House for half an hour.

When the House re-assembled, Leader of Opposition L K
Advani said government had described Saeed mastermind of
26/11, which was "like attack on India", but Pakistan had
scrapped legal proceeding against him.

Advani referred to comments by Krishna to a newspaper
that prosecution of Saeed is an "acid test" and talks with
Pakistan would be futile till Pakistan acts against him and
dismantles terror infrastructure.

Advani also pointed out Krishna has said that till
Pakistan acts, there would be no meaning of talks no matter
how many times the Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers or
Foreign Secretaries meet.

"This statement amounts to contradicting the statement by
the Prime Minister who has agreed to delinking terror from
dialogue (in Indo-Pak joint statement). I will be happy if he
did (contradict)," the BJP leader said, apparently taking a
dig at the government.

"I demand that the Prime Minister or the External Affairs
Minister should give a clarification in the House," he said at
a time when neither Singh or Leader of the House Pranab
Mukherjee was present.

After Advani, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, JD(U) leader Sharad
Yadav and Congress member Sanjay Nirupam also spoke on the
issue which turned into a virtual debate during which
uproarious scenes and clashes between ruling and opposition
benches were witnessed.

Advani wanted an assurance from the government as to when
the Prime Minister or Krishna would respond.

Speaker Meira Kumar said she could not compel the
government as it was a Zero Hour matter. Dissatisfied, Advani
led a walkout by NDA members. Members of SP and RJD also
walked out.

Earlier, Prasad supported Advani's contention, saying the
BJP leader had talked about an important issue concerning the
nation and "not any of his individual matters".

Amid shouts of "shame, shame", Prasad said Pakistan, by
allowing Saeed to walk free, had shown India "the mirror" and
"told us that this is your standing" but the government is
"not taking any lesson".

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Mulayam Singh Yadav
said the development indicates Pakistan's lack of will to
target Saeed and exposes the hollowness of Prime Minister's
statement of "trust and verify" with regard to Islamabad's
actions against terrorism.

Yadav said Singh had eased pressure on Pakistan that had
been built after the Mumbai attacks.

"Pakistan had been isolated after the Mumbai attacks. The
world had come to realise that Pakistan is breeding ground for
terrorism. But the Prime Minister has accorded it recognition
at international scene," the SP chief said as his party
members chanted slogans like "Pradhan Mantri Jawab do (PM
should reply)".

Sharad Yadav said the Indo-Pak joint statement issued
after the meeting between Singh and his Pakistani counterpart
Yousuf Raza Gilani was against India's interest and had given
a "major shock" to the country and this had been proved by
Islamabad's inaction against Saeed.

He said the delinking of terror from dialogue and mention
of Balochistan in the joint statement was against national
consensus over terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

The joint statement had eased pressure on Pakistan which
had been "cornered" after Mumbai attacks, he said.

Trying to defend the government, Congress member Sanjay
Nirupam said it was for the first time that India had put
Pakistan in the dock and Islamabad had "actually acted",

However, he expressed unhappiness over Pakistan's
inaction in the case of Hafiz Saeed and "demanded" that
government should maintain pressure on Islamabad so that the
JuD chief is "re-arrested".

He stirred the hornet's next when he stated that Pakistan
is also a "victim" of terror and as it is engaged in fight
against Taliban in Swat and other areas, dialogue and
intelligence sharing would be advisable.

This comment led to an uproar with BJP taking a swipe at
him and asking why he was speaking in favour of Pakistan.

Defending his comment, Nirupam said he had described
Pakistan as a "victim" of terrorism as it was facing terror
from Taliban and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had been
assassinated.

"Mai bhi rashtra bhakt hoon (I too am a patriot). I was
the first to go to Taj Hotel after it was attacked (on
26/11)," he argued in the face of BJP criticism.

Lalu Prasad, while underlining that everybody wanted the
government to take a tough line vis-a-vis Pakistan and clarify
issues, said there is no harm in dialogue but "we are getting
bashed up (by terrorism emanating from Pakistan)."

Emphasising that the issue concerned India's
"self-respect", Prasad said the government's dealing of
Pakistan over terrorism is sending out a "wrong message" and
causing "demoralisation" in the country.

Contending that government's policy with regard to
Pakistan was going haywire and there was "unanimity" on it,
Prasad asked "what is the fact behind (the developments)? What
actions are you going to take?"

Advani said when the Speaker adjourned the House
earlier, he thought the Prime Minister or the External Affairs
Minister would come. But, even Leader of the House is not
present, he said.

He said Krishna had made a statement outside Parliament
and he should tell the House also.

Deputy Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said the Prime
Minister should state whether he agrees with Krishna that
talks with Pakistan would not be fruitful till it acts against
terror or he had been "over-ruled by the External Affairs
Minister".

Earlier, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha recalled that during
the debate on Indo-Pak joint statement he had asked the Prime
Minister as to what had changed between June 16, when he met
President Asif Ali Zardari in Yekaterinburg, and July 16, when
he met Gilani in Sharm-el Sheikh that the Prime Minister
"overturned his mandate".

Singh responded by saying that during the intervening
period, India had received a dossier from Pakistan detailing
the steps it has taken against Mumbai attackers, Sinha said.

However, the name of Hafiz Saeed, whom India has
identified as the mastermind, was not mentioned in the
dossier, the BJP leader said, adding Pakistan would not dare
to "touch" the JuD chief as he is "closely linked" to Inter
Services Intelligence (ISI).

Sinha said Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had stated
last week that Pakistan had been given "enough" evidence to
prosecute Saeed but Islamabad had "responded" to it by
"setting him free".

He and other opposition members wanted the government
to make a statement. During the course of the proceedings,
Kirti Azad (BJP) and Sandeep Dikshit (Congress) were seen
having a heated exchange.

Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) said the matter could not be
ignored.

The Speaker said the government could not be compelled
to reply as the matter related to Zero Hour. This led to
uproar and adjournment of House for half an hour. PTI AKK
SDE
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