ISLAMABAD, 18 October 2006 — The Lahore High Court yesterday ordered the release of Jamaat-ud-Dawa group chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed.
Saeed was detained under public order laws in the eastern city of Lahore late August, hours after he was freed from a period of house arrest. Lahore High Court yesterday ruled that the detention was “illegal,” following a petition by Saeed’s wife, his lawyer Nazir Ahmed Ghazi said.
“It’s a gift for all freedom-loving people for the holy month of Ramadan,” Ghazi said. “The court rejected the government view that he is a security risk. It’s victory for the fundamental rights of an individual.” Ghazi told the court, “It was India that declared Saeed an ISI agent and the government had detained him to please New Delhi. He argued that Jamaat-ud-Dawa was not a terrorist organization and Saeed had no criminal record.
Saeed was placed under house arrest in Lahore on Aug. 9, a day before British authorities arrested more than 20 Britons who were allegedly involved in a plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners. Pakistan denied his arrest was linked to the alleged conspiracy. His house arrest ended on Aug. 29, but police raided his home and detained him later the same day.
He was held under the “Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance,” whereby authorities can detain a person considered a threat to public peace for up to three months without charge. On Monday, the government lawyer told the court that the reasons for his detention could not be made public but claimed Saeed’s activities were jeopardizing Pakistan’s relations with certain foreign countries. Saeed was also accused of encouraging collection of funds for militancy, which is prohibited by law in Pakistan. A large number of Saeed’s supporters were in court to hear Justice Mohammad Akhtar Shabbir hand down yesterday’s judgment.
Saeed, a former Lashkar-e-Taiba chief, abandoned the group in January 2002, shortly before it was banned by President Pervez Musharraf. Saeed set up the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, regarded as the group’s political wing.
Action Taken Against 48 Lawmakers
The Election Commission of Pakistan has barred 48 lawmakers from attending parliamentary sessions and carrying out other responsibilities because they had not declared their assets correctly before contesting polls. Secretary of Election Commission Kunwar Dilshad told Arab News here yesterday that initially action was taken against 45 deputies and three more were added to the list later.
The legislators include 1 senator, 10 members of the National Assembly, 16 members of the NWFP Assembly, 12 members of Punjab Assembly, 2 members of Balochistan Assembly and 1 member of the Sindh Assembly. One member from minority and two members from women’s seats were also included in the list.
