Pak authorities to move SC against Saeed's release

Pakistani authorities on Tuesday said they planned to move the Supreme Court against the Lahore High Court's order to release JuD chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who was placed under house arrest in the wake of Mumbai attacks.

Rana Sanaullah, the Law Minister of Punjab province, indicated a review petition would be filed in the Supreme Court against the Lahore High Court's decision to free Saeed and his close aide Col (retd) Nazir Ahmed.

Sanaullah told reporters that the government respected the High Court's decision but it had to move the apex court against orders which create problems for the country internationally.

Punjab Home Secretary Nadeem Hasan Asif said the government was consulting legal experts about filing a review petition in the apex court. Official sources, however, said the appeal would be filed in the Supreme Court within the next few days.

The High Court, which was hearing a petition filed by Saeed and Ahmed to challenge their detention, freed the two earlier in the day.

During an earlier hearing of Saeed's petition, Pakistan's Attorney General Latif Khosa had told the High Court that the government had evidence which showed the JuD's "prima facie links" with Al-Qaida. This was the first time that Pakistan acknowledged that JuD has links with Al-Qaida.