After release from Pakistan house arrest, Hafiz Saeed 'vows to work for Kashmir’s independence'

Moneycontrol News

Hours after the release of terrorist Hafiz Saeed from his house arrest by Pakistani authorities, the Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder Hafiz Saeed promised that he and his followers will work towards  “Kashmir’s independence”.

The government of Pakistan’s Punjab province had sought a three-month extension in Saeed’s detention but the request was turned down by judicial review board just days before the ninth anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Saeed, whose release is scheduled today, was placed under house arrest in January after years of living freely in Pakistan. This has led to vehement opposition from the United States and has invited ire from India.

The US government had previously offered a USD 10 million bounty for information for the arrest and conviction of Saeed, who heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which is allegedly the front for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group.

"Nine years after 26/11, its mastermind still eludes justice. It is time to rescind Pakistan's status as a major non-NATO ally," Bruce Riedel, a top US expert on security, South Asia, and counter-terrorism told PTI.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawah from their Twitter handle blamed India for his arrest and vowed to get back independent Kashmir.

رہائی کے بعد پروفیسر حافظ محمد سعید حفظہ اللہ کا پہلا ویڈیو پیغام. #HafizSaeedWon #Jud pic.twitter.com/dJel3FjfOR

— جماعۃ الدعوۃ پاکستان (@JamatUdDawaPak) November 22, 2017

In the video, he says that "despite the representatives of governments and ministries all going against his release the judges decided against them. This is a victory for the independence prevailing in Pakistan and I am fighting for the case of independence of Kashmir."

A review board of the judges of the Lahore High Court, while ordering his release, said that the release is subject to the condition that he is not wanted in any other case.

During a hearing by the review board, the Punjab government said that Pakistan may face serious sanctions from the world community in case Saeed is freed.

Saeed’s detention started on January 31 when he and four of his aides were put under house arrest.

Under Pakistan laws, one can detain an individual for up to three months under different charges but an extension in the detention requires an approval from a judicial review board.

Saeed had challenged his detention through his lawyer and contended that requirement by the Supreme Court has not been fulfilled.

The government of Pakistan's Punjab province had asked for a 60-day extension to Saeed’s detention but the request was turned down by the court, prosecutor Sattar Sahil told Reuters.

"In a word, the release is an outrage," Alyssa Ayres, a former State Department official and currently with the Council on Foreign Relations, told PTI after Lahore High Court ordered that Saeed is set free.

A US department spokesperson told The Hindustan Times that US government has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order.

The JuD, which he claims is a charity, is described by the US government and the United Nations as a front for the banned LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba).

"The United States reiterates its stance that LeT is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens," a State Department Spokesperson told PTI.

The release of the Lashkar-e-Taiba leader raised questions whether the state agencies in Pakistan were serious about detaining Saeed or his release was carefully scripted by his military allies.

(With inputs from PTI)