Islamabad - Pakistani authorities on Tuesday released Hafiz
Muhammad Saeed, the founder of an Islamic militant group accused of
being behind last year's Mumbai terror attacks, after a court
declared his house arrest as illegal.
His attorney, A K Dogar, said a three-member bench of the Lahore
High Court had lifted the restrictions on his movement.
'The honourable judges ruled that his detention was illegal and
unconstitutional, and therefore Hafiz Saeed and his aides should be
released,' Dogar told reporters outside the courtroom.
Saeed was put under house arrest on December 11 after New Delhi
accused the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group he founded of being
behind the November 26 attacks that claimed over 170 lives.
Saeed also heads the Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) which
was banned by United Nations as a terrorist organization and a
political front for the LeT in December.
Following the release, Saeed said the court ruling was a victory
of 'justice and law.' According to Geo television he said the
government tried to link him with al-Qaeda but the allegations were
untrue.
India expressed its disappointment over Saeed's release.
'We are unhappy that Pakistan does not show the degree of
seriousness and commitment that it should to bring to justice the
perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attacks,' India's Home Minister
P Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi.
Indian officials said that Pakistani authorities did not press
strong charges against Saeed which resulted in the court setting him
free.
Indian authorities consider Saeed one of the terrorists most
wanted by them.
Besides being a key suspect in the Mumbai attacks, he was also
named in the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001 and the 2006
Mumbai train bombings, which killed 186 people.
But Saeed's lawyer welcomed the court ruling saying the order was
'a testimony to the fact that in this country sovereignty lies in
Allah Almighty and the Holy Koran. Dozens of JuD supporters raised
banners declaring 'God is Great' outside the court room.
Pakistani authorities have also closed the charity's offices.
However, the organization has resurfaced under a new name -
Falah-e-Insaniat (Human Welfare) Foundation (FIF).
The FIF is running a massive relief operation for thousands of
people displaced by the ongoing operation against Taliban in Swat and
three neighbouring districts
Meanwhile, the LeT organization which Saeed founded is believed to
be behind a number of deadly attacks in the eastern province of
Punjab.
Analysts have warned that the court ruling is likely to
damage efforts to resume peace talks between India and Pakistan.
'The verdict is going to have negative repercussions,' India's
former member of the parliament and journalist Kuldip Nayar told Geo
television from New Delhi.
'On one hand we are talking about the resumption of composite
dialogue between India and Pakistan, and on the other a terrorist who
is involved in so many attacks here in India is being released. How
the talks will proceed?' he said.
'The government of Pakistan should immediately file an appeal in
the Supreme Court against the Lahore High Court ruling,' added Nayar.
New Delhi suspended peace talks with Islamabad in the aftermath of
the Mumbai attacks, which killed more than 170 people, and linked
their resumption to action against the suspects.
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