Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that action could not be taken against Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed as no case has been filed against him in Islamabad. "Action is taken when there is a case registered [against someone]," said Abbasi in an interview. Earlier in November, the Pakistan Prime Minister had claimed that India has provided "no evidence" against Saeed on the basis of which he can be prosecuted.
"The court, a three-judge bench, has released him (Saeed) saying there are no charges against him, the country has a law you know," said Abbasi. The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief is also looking to contest the 2018 general elections in Pakistan and has, thereby, formed a party by the name of Milli Muslim League (MML). Pakistan has recently prohibited Saeed's JuD and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) from collecting donations.
Saeed was released from house arrest after a Pakistani court cited lack of evidence against him in the 26/11 Mumbai attack case. India has, time and again, protested against Pakistan for harbouring Saeed, who is wanted for plotting the Mumbai attacks.
UN team won't be given access to Hafiz
Diplomatic sources said that Pakistan won't allow a sanctions monitoring team of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) any direct access to Hafiz Saeed or his entities when it visits the country later this week. The UN team's visit will take place amid increasing pressure on Pakistan from the US and India on the inadequate implementation of the sanctions on Saeed and entities linked to him.
Saeed and his organisation the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) were put under sanctions by the UN in December 2008, a month after the Mumbai terror attack. The terrorist, who was released from house arrest in November last, in fact petitioned the UN after his release asking for his name be removed from their list of sanctioned terrorists.
The UNSC team, one Pakistani diplomatic source said, will visit to discuss "official information" on issues relating to the banned outfits and implementation of UN sanctions. They will not seek access to the JuD or Hafiz Saeed and if they do that, we will not allow it. We have been in talks and this visit was scheduled," said the diplomatic source.
The UNSC sanctions list includes the JuD, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and Lashkar-e-Taiba (also banned by Pakistan, and of which the JuD is a front), among other organisations and individuals.
Last week, Pakistan's prime minister said there's no case against Saeed. However, just days before that statement by the PM, Pakistan banned companies and individuals from making donations to the JuD, the related Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation and other organizations on the UNSC sanctions list. This double-speak did not make the US happy. After the PM's statement, the US State Department sternly said Pakistan should prosecute Saeed "to the fullest extent of the law".
