ISLAMABAD, 17 August 2006 — A Pakistani court yesterday ordered an eastern provincial government to explain why a prominent militant-linked leader has been placed under house arrest, a lawyer said.
Hafiz Mohammed Saeed was put in detention at his home by police in Lahore on Aug. 9, apparently to stop him from leading a rally in the Punjab capital.
Saeed’s lawyer, Nazir Ahmed Ghazi, said the Lahore High Court has directed authorities to explain Saeed’s arrest after his wife filed a petition seeking his release.
The petitioner pleaded that the detention order of the Punjab provincial government against Hafiz Mohammad Saeed was unjustified and illegal, Ghazi said. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Saeed’s detention was not related to a foiled plot revealed last week to blow up airliners flying from Britain to the United States.
No official comment was immediately available, and a government lawyer is expected to present arguments at the next hearing on Aug. 23, said Ghazi.
Saeed leads Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity that he set up after the Pakistani government in 2002 banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant group that he previously headed.
Neighboring India has accused Lashkar-e-Taiba of involvement in terrorist attacks including the July 11 commuter train bombings in Bombay that killed 207 people.
In May, the United States designated Jamaat-ud-Dawa a terrorist organization for having links with Lashkar-e-Taiba. The provincial government has given “vague and baseless” reasons for arresting Saeed, alleging that if he addressed a rally or a public meeting, it could undermine law and order, Ghazi added.
“He was arrested to please India,” Ghazi said.
Newspaper reports have claimed Jamaat-ud-Dawa may have provided funds to suspects in the foiled plot to blow up flights between Britain and the United States. Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Pakistani authorities have denied any link between Saeed or his group and the alleged plotters.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasnim Aslam has also denied that, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, was being investigated for transferring funds to extremists.
