Finally, the
Pakistan government has also admitted that Hafiz Saeed is involved in
terrorism. Pakistan's Home Ministry has asked the judicial review board that
the mastermind of the Mumbai attack and the donor of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Hafiz Saeed
and his four associates were detained for 'spreading terrorism in the name of
Jihad'. Saeed appeared before the board on Saturday and argued that the
Pakistani government has taken him into custody to stop the voices of the
Kashmiris.
However, the Home Ministry rejected his plea and told the
three-member board that Saeed and his four associates were detained for
'spreading terrorism in the name of Jihad'. The Board, comprising Justice Ejaz
Afzal Khan (Supreme Court), Justice Ayesha A Malik (Lahore High Court) and
Justice Jamal Khan Mododhil (Balochistan High Court), directed the ministry to
say that he and his four associates - Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rahman Abid, Abdullah
Ubaid and Kazi Kazif Niaz - handed over the complete record on the next hearing
to be taken into custody.
The Board
also said that the attorney general of Pakistan will be present at the next
hearing. During the tight security of the police, Saeed and his four associates
had presented before the board. On this occasion, Saeed's supporters were
sitting outside the court. Saeed's lawyer AK Dogar was also present in the
court, but the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba decided to keep his plea in front of
the court himself. He said that no Government organization could ever prove the
allegations against me on behalf of the government. My organization and I have
been targeted because of the voice of Kashmir's freedom and the criticism of
the government's poor policies on Kashmir issue.
----Ashish Jha
