Set free by the Lahore High Court nearly six months after he was placed under house arrest in the wake of Mumbai attacks, banned JuD chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed on Tuesday claimed that the lone Pakistani terrorist captured alive during the 26/11 strikes has "no connection" with his outfit.
A defiant Saeed, addressing a news conference held at a mosque near his home in Johar Town, also vowed to continue his campaign against what he alleged "occupation" of Jammu and Kashmir.
He alleged that he and his associates were detained due to "Indian pressure" in the aftermath of last year's Mumbai attacks and denied that the JuD was involved in the incident in India's financial hub.
"(Mumbai attacker) Ajmal Kasab has no connection with the JuD," he claimed. "We are a peaceful and public welfare organisation," he said, criticising the Pakistan government for linking the JuD with Al-Qaeda.
Saeed, who was released along with his close aide Col (retd) Nazir Ahmed, who was also held in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, said that he opposed the ongoing Pakistani military operations against the Taliban in Swat and other areas of North West Frontier Province, even as he labelled suicide attacks as "un-Islamic".
While opposing the military operation against the Taliban in Malakand division of NWFP, Saeed, also the founder of the Lashker-e-Taiba, said that "those fighting against the Pakistan Army must understand that Pakistan is no place for fighting."
{{/usCountry}}While opposing the military operation against the Taliban in Malakand division of NWFP, Saeed, also the founder of the Lashker-e-Taiba, said that "those fighting against the Pakistan Army must understand that Pakistan is no place for fighting."
{{/usCountry}}Saeed welcomed the Lahore High Court's decision to release him, saying it showed that the judiciary in Pakistan was independent and free.
He hoped the court's decision would help the JuD plead its case in the UN and European Union, which have imposed restrictions on the organisation.
Saeed claimed a conspiracy was being hatched to declare Pakistan a terrorist state and said that "propaganda" against the country and Islam should be stopped. He also claimed his detention was a conspiracy against Pakistan.
He vowed to defend himself in the Supreme Court if the government filed a petition challenging the High Court's order to release him.
Saeed claimed the Indian government had not been able to provide any evidence to back its contention that the JuD was linked to the Mumbai attacks.