AMN /
Pakistan has freed Hafiz Saeed, the chief of the banned JuD and mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack from detention. He was released in Lahore after midnight last night. Sayeed was freed after the government decided against detaining him further in any case.
He was under detention since January this year. Punjab province’s Judicial Review Board comprising judges of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday unanimously ordered Saeed’s release on the completion of his 30-day house arrest which expired last night.
The Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) head, carries a 10 million US Dollar American bounty for his role in terror activities. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai terror attack in 2008 in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed. Saeed was declared a global terrorist by the US and the UN after the Mumbai attack.
India yesterday reacted to Sayeed’s release order saying Pakistan has been exposed once again. It said India and the entire international community is outraged that a self-confessed and UN proscribed terrorist is being allowed to walk free and continue his evil agenda.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had further said, the Pakistani government should fulfil its international obligations and take credible and effective action against terrorists like Hafiz Saeed.
India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai terror attack case and also demanded the trial of Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in the light of the evidence it had provided to Islamabad.