India disappointed as Pak SC backs Saeed release

In a setback to Indian efforts to nail the Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks,the Pakistan Supreme Court today dismissed appeals by the government against the release of Hafiz Saeed from house arrest,citing lack of evidence. In New Delhi,Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao expressed disappointment over the decision. We feel a sense …

In a setback to Indian efforts to nail the Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks,the Pakistan Supreme Court today dismissed appeals by the government against the release of Hafiz Saeed from house arrest,citing lack of evidence.

In New Delhi,Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao expressed disappointment over the decision. We feel a sense of disappointment,I am sure everybody in this country shares that sense,Rao told reporters,reports ENS.

He is one of the masterminds of the Mumbai terror attacks,he openly urged jihad against India. The LeT and JuD have been designated as terrorist outfits by the United Nations Security Council.

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Rao reiterated that India has provided enough evidence against Saeed,and said she hoped Pakistan would be sensitive to our concerns and take meaningful action.

The Pakistan Supreme Court upheld the Lahore High Court order to release Saeed from house arrest. Appeals against the order to release Saeed were filed by the federal and Punjab governments last year but could not be taken up for technical reasons.

The appeals are dismissed, said Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk who headed the three-judge bench that heard the matter today.

The bench also upheld the High Court order to free two close aides of Saeed,Col (retd) Nazir Ahmed and Maulana Amir Hamza.

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A K Dogar,lawyer of Saeed,said the bench issued a short order that said authorities had failed to produce any evidence that linked the JuD chief to the Mumbai attacks. The prosecution failed to prove its case, Dogar told PTI.

Additional Attorney General K K Agha,who appeared on behalf of the federal government,said there were allegations that Saeed was involved in the Mumbai attacks. The government also had to take action against him under UN Security Council resolutions,he said.

The bench asked Agha whether he had any fresh material against Saeed. It also asked him whether Saeed had violated the law of the land or indulged in any objectionable activity during the past one year when he was not under house arrest.

Agha told the court that Saeed was living a peaceful life. The bench then observed that the liberty of a citizen is sacred and the law does not allow the detention of anyone without a lawful reason. It said the government could file a fresh appeal in future if it is able to produce any new evidence.

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Saeed (60),also the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba,was put under house arrest in December 2008 in the wake of the Mumbai attacks after the UN Security Council declared the JuD a front for the Lashkar.

After he challenged his detention in the Lahore High Court,Saeed was freed on June 2 last year by a three-judge bench that said the Punjab and federal governments had failed to provide sufficient evidence to keep him in custody.

Following pressure from India and the international community,the federal and Punjab governments challenged the High Court ruling in the apex court. –pti

Pak govt helped Saeed: BJP

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday accused the Pakistan government of facilitating his release. BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Government of Pakistan did not furnish before the court enough evidence,including the dossiers handed over by India,and failed to build a strong case against Hafiz Saeed. ENS