Islamabad, September 19: Pakistan has slapped two new cases on Hafiz Mohammad Saeed in a move high on symbolism but low on legal ammunition since neither relate to the Mumbai terror attacks.
“Two cases have been registered against Hafiz Saeed for delivering speeches against the government, holding unlawful congregations and inciting people to wage jihad against anti-Islamic forces and appealing to them for generous donations,” a senior Pakistani police official told The Telegraph. The cases were registered in Faisalabad on Wednesday.
The move comes days before India’s external affairs minister S.M. Krishna’s meeting with his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Krishna is expected to be in New York from September 24 to 26 for the General Assembly. Ahead of the talks, the foreign secretaries will meet in New York to review the steps Islamabad has taken against the masterminds of the Mumbai attacks.
Krishna reiterated that India was looking for action against Saeed, the chief of the Jamat-ud-Dawa, a charity front of the Lashkar-e-Toiba. “We won’t be satisfied till Pakistan takes action against Hafiz Saeed. Pakistan must dismantle all terror activities with immediate action,” he said.
Sources in Krishna’s ministry said though the cases were a “right step” and worthy of noting is the “timing”, Pakistan has to do more.
“We are awaiting details like how strong the cases are against him, and moreover to gauge the seriousness with which Islamabad is pursuing the case of 26/11 masterminds, and dismantling terror infrastructure that targets India,” said a South Block source.
India’s concerns appear to be well founded with sources in Pakistan saying it would be difficult to arrest Saeed on the basis of the new cases.
An official, who did not wish to be named, said in the speeches for which he has been booked, Saeed had accused India of “staging the 26/11 drama to malign Pakistan and the mujahideen, fighting for their freedom in Kashmir”.
“India staged (the) 26/11 drama to malign us as part of a conspiracy it is hatching in cahoots with Israel to cause harm to Pakistan’s nuclear capability,” the report annexed with the case quotes Saeed as saying.
Security officials in Islamabad said every Pakistani citizen had the right to speak on issues confronting the country. “We need to have concrete evidence to start legal proceedings against Saeed,” the official said.
The US also prodded Pakistan. Timothy J. Roemer, the US ambassador to India, said it was important Pakistan handed out swift and lengthy punishments to the suspects, including Saeed.
“It is extremely important that these blood-thirsty perpetrators be brought to justice and put behind bars, and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world,” the US envoy said after his meeting with home minister P. Chidambaram.
Roemer then met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is due to attend the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh on September 24-25.
—Agencies