Hafiz Saeed Snarls at India After Release, US Demand Arrest

Hafiz Saeed, head of the Pakistani religious party, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, gestures outside a court in Lahore.

(Photo: AP Exchange)

The United States has called for the immediate arrest of Jamaat-ut-Daawa (JuD) leader Hafiz Saeed, after he was released from house arrest on 24 November.

The LeT founder was released after a Judicial Review Board denied the Pakistan government’s request for an extension to the duration of his house arrest.

Hours after he was released, Saeed attacked former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif for his “friendship” with PM Modi, in a statement in Lahore, Reuters reported.

In May 2008, the US Department of the Treasury had designated Saeed as a global terrorist.

The United States is deeply concerned that Lashkar-e- Taiba (LeT) leader Hafiz Saeed has been released from house arrest in Pakistan. LeT is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens... The Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes.

Heather Nauert, Spokesperson, State Department

The JuD leader has a USD 10 million bounty on his head, set by the US government. In a setback to India's efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack, Saeed walked free as the Pakistani government decided against detaining him further.

Saeed, along with Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi, are the founders of the Lashkar-e-Taeba terror outfit which was allegedly behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, which left over 160 people dead.

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj