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Islamabad:
Putting Hafiz Saeed under house arrest is not enough, Minister for External Affairs S M Krishna has told NDTV.
The Foreign Minister has said that India needs action by Pakistan on 26/11.
Banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed has been put under house arrest. But Pakistani authorities say his arrest is not because of any pressure or the impending meeting between Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan, it is for Saeed's own security.
Security was stepped up outside Saeed's home in Lahore's Johar town area around 1 am on Sunday night. A senior police officer says he is not technically under house arrest but his movements have been restricted. He was not allowed to lead Eid prayers. It's not clear how long this restriction will remain in place.
"No one can be stopped from expressing himself. Now a man who is religious person, he wants to give religious sermon and you stop him. This is not good. And if you are asking on the pressure by India, this is in fact, is victimisation of a person, of a citizen of Pakistan," said Saeed's lawyer A K Dogar.
It seems no coincidence that the action against Saeed comes just days before the Indian and Pakistani Foreign Ministers meet in New York.
"Hafiz Saeed has been charged under two sections unrelated to 26/11. If this is Pakistan's face saving technique, I have no objection. Now that Hafiz Saeed has been put under house arrest, they should investigate his role in 26/11 attacks," said Home Minister P Chidambaram.
Not much headway is expected in the Indo-Pakistan talks this week, but the action against Saeed does give New Delhi a little more room to maneuvore, since they're treading so cautiously after Sharm el Sheikh.
The Foreign Minister has said that India needs action by Pakistan on 26/11.
Banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed has been put under house arrest. But Pakistani authorities say his arrest is not because of any pressure or the impending meeting between Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan, it is for Saeed's own security.
Security was stepped up outside Saeed's home in Lahore's Johar town area around 1 am on Sunday night. A senior police officer says he is not technically under house arrest but his movements have been restricted. He was not allowed to lead Eid prayers. It's not clear how long this restriction will remain in place.
"No one can be stopped from expressing himself. Now a man who is religious person, he wants to give religious sermon and you stop him. This is not good. And if you are asking on the pressure by India, this is in fact, is victimisation of a person, of a citizen of Pakistan," said Saeed's lawyer A K Dogar.
It seems no coincidence that the action against Saeed comes just days before the Indian and Pakistani Foreign Ministers meet in New York.
"Hafiz Saeed has been charged under two sections unrelated to 26/11. If this is Pakistan's face saving technique, I have no objection. Now that Hafiz Saeed has been put under house arrest, they should investigate his role in 26/11 attacks," said Home Minister P Chidambaram.
Not much headway is expected in the Indo-Pakistan talks this week, but the action against Saeed does give New Delhi a little more room to maneuvore, since they're treading so cautiously after Sharm el Sheikh.
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