Hafiz Saeed Walks Free From House Arrest, Says Will Continue To Fight For ‘Kashmir’s Freedom’

Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed on Friday walked from house arrest as a free man and moments after the release he said he will gather people across Pakistan for the “cause of Kashmir” and help the Kashmiris secure “freedom”.

The JuD head, who carries a bounty of $10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, was set free after the Pakistan government decided against detaining him further in any case. He has been under detention since January this year.

The Judicial Review Board of Punjab province comprising judges of the Lahore high court (LHC) on Thursday unanimously ordered Saeed’s release on the completion of his 30-day house arrest which expired tonight.

“I fight the case of Kashmiris. I will gather the people from across the country for the cause of Kashmir. And we will try to help Kashmiris get their destination of freedom.” Saeed said after his release. Several JuD activists gathered outside Saeed’s residence in Jauhar town in Lahore to celebrate his release. They shouted anti-India slogans and described his leader as “a hope for Kashmiri people”. “We are happy to see our leader free,” JuD spokesman Ahmad Nadim told PTI.

On 31 January, Saeed and his four aides—Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain—were detained by the Punjab government for 90 days under Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and the Fourth Schedule of Anti- Terrorism Act 1997.

However, the last two extensions were made on “public safety law”. The board refused to give further extension to the detention of Saeed’s aides. They were set free last month. Under the law, the government can detain a person for up to three months under different charges but for extension to that detention it needs approval from a judicial review board.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack. Saeed was put under house arrest after the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008 but he was freed by court in 2009. India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai terror attack case and also demanded trial of Saeed and LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in the light of evidence it had provided to Islamabad. (PTI)