Pakistan has no evidence linking the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed to the Mumbai terror attacks but was detained for the “national security”, a top legal official said on Friday.
Saeed, linked to last year’s Mumbai terror attacks, was set free on June 2 by the Lahore High Court, triggering an angry response from India which accused Pakistan of not being serious about fighting terror.
Attorney General Latif Khosa said that there was an “impression” in India and the world community that Saeed had a role in the Mumbai attacks but made it clear that Pakistan had no evidence linking him to the terrorist strikes.
Asked by Dawn News channel if there was any evidence linking Saeed to the Mumbai attacks, Khosa replied, “Not to my knowledge, not to my estimation and not to the government’s estimation... India is wanting him, we say no, he is not involved and we (had to detain him) for national security and maintenance of public order.”
In reply to another question on why Saeed was detained when there was no evidence against him, Khosa said this was done because the UN Security Council had imposed restrictions on the JuD and its leaders through a resolution. “I am not saying that they (JuD) were involved (in the Mumbai attacks)... This is what India is saying. I am not toeing India’s line at all. We have our own perception,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}In reply to another question on why Saeed was detained when there was no evidence against him, Khosa said this was done because the UN Security Council had imposed restrictions on the JuD and its leaders through a resolution. “I am not saying that they (JuD) were involved (in the Mumbai attacks)... This is what India is saying. I am not toeing India’s line at all. We have our own perception,” he added.
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