Islamabad:
Pakistan's Supreme Court has dismissed appeals challenging 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed's release from house arrest. The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief will continue to be free.
The appeals against the Lahore High Court's order to release Saeed were filed by the federal and Punjab governments last year, but could not be taken up earlier for various technical reasons.
When the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, a three-judge bench headed by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk dismissed the appeals saying, "Just on speculation and assumption, the court cannot allow Federal and Punjab governments to put him under arrest."
India has expressed its disappointment. Commenting on the Pakistan Supreme Court judgement, India's Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said, "We regard Hafiz Saeed as the 26/11 mastermind and have given enough evidence against Saeed to Pakistan. Hope Pakistan takes meaningful action against him." (Read: India disappointed over Pak SC decision on Hafiz Saeed)
Apart from the series of dossiers given by India, which calls Saeed the mastermind of 26/11, the inflammatory speeches made by him where he openly called for jihad against India, is also the damning evidence against him.
These speeches are also part of India's dossier of evidence but it's not clear if this was presented to the court. The details of the order are awaited.
Saeed, also the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), was put under house arrest in December 2008 after the Mumbai attacks on November 26 that year. This after the UN Security Council declared the JuD as a front for the LeT.
The JuD chief challenged his detention in the Lahore High Court. He was freed on June 2, 2009 by a three-judge bench of the High Court that said that the Punjab and federal governments had failed to provide sufficient evidence to keep him in custody.
Following pressure from India and the international community, the federal and Punjab governments challenged the High Court's ruling in the apex court.
Differences between the federal and Punjab governments and a change of legal officials of Punjab province held up the matter in the Supreme Court.
Pakistani leaders like Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi have contended that India has not provided any evidence that will allow authorities to act against Saeed.
But Home Minister P Chidambaram has maintained that India has provided sufficient evidence against Saeed in several dossiers handed over to Pakistani authorities.
(With PTI inputs)
The appeals against the Lahore High Court's order to release Saeed were filed by the federal and Punjab governments last year, but could not be taken up earlier for various technical reasons.
When the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, a three-judge bench headed by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk dismissed the appeals saying, "Just on speculation and assumption, the court cannot allow Federal and Punjab governments to put him under arrest."
India has expressed its disappointment. Commenting on the Pakistan Supreme Court judgement, India's Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said, "We regard Hafiz Saeed as the 26/11 mastermind and have given enough evidence against Saeed to Pakistan. Hope Pakistan takes meaningful action against him." (Read: India disappointed over Pak SC decision on Hafiz Saeed)
Apart from the series of dossiers given by India, which calls Saeed the mastermind of 26/11, the inflammatory speeches made by him where he openly called for jihad against India, is also the damning evidence against him.
These speeches are also part of India's dossier of evidence but it's not clear if this was presented to the court. The details of the order are awaited.
Saeed, also the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), was put under house arrest in December 2008 after the Mumbai attacks on November 26 that year. This after the UN Security Council declared the JuD as a front for the LeT.
The JuD chief challenged his detention in the Lahore High Court. He was freed on June 2, 2009 by a three-judge bench of the High Court that said that the Punjab and federal governments had failed to provide sufficient evidence to keep him in custody.
Following pressure from India and the international community, the federal and Punjab governments challenged the High Court's ruling in the apex court.
Differences between the federal and Punjab governments and a change of legal officials of Punjab province held up the matter in the Supreme Court.
Pakistani leaders like Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi have contended that India has not provided any evidence that will allow authorities to act against Saeed.
But Home Minister P Chidambaram has maintained that India has provided sufficient evidence against Saeed in several dossiers handed over to Pakistani authorities.
(With PTI inputs)
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