Hafiz saeed to challenge US bounty in international court

[Vinod2070]

I think a serious message needs to be sent to the US where all ties should be severed if such unlawful methods of sponsoring violent activities in Pakistan are not seized.

We can not have vigilantes killing people in Pakistan, and US has asked people to kill a person standing in trial.

So the only recourse left is for Pakistan to cut off diplomatic ties with the US.

This chap is not in the business of respecting sovereignty either.

Can hardly expect to hide behind that for himself.

 

[AVinayKumar]

Haffez Saeed may be a saint but now US and India decided to kill him...so he will be killed...you cannot do any thing about it except ...watch him die......

There is no India angle in this.. The old guy has been rubbing US the wrong way for last few months.. Now its his time to pay the price...

 

[vsdoc]

I'm very much sure that had Pakistan been a powerful democracy with civilian leaders in control of the country, Pakistan would have behaved well.

Pakistan's current policy has been formulated by its Generals and we all know how myopic they are.

This is not about myopia. This is about guilt.

Generals are involved in Mumbai.

How do you expect them to behave?

 

[SMC]

Its might be a simple logic, still baffles me why most of the Pakistanis fail to see it.

I mean what does India or US gets from going after some random old fart?

Hugo Chavez and Ahmedinajad are leaders of their country, who the fck is Hafiz Saeed? If he was some important personality then it would make sense.

Why does it matter if Chavez and Ahmedinijad are leaders? What difference does it make? Maybe they're going after him because he doesn't like the US and wants Pakistan to cut the relationship with the US, and has been protesting against the US -- which has nothing to do with the Mumbai attacks?

You're right to an extent that you're using simple logic, except it's not just simple logic, it's overly simplistic logic. Try explaining your argument to a professor of logic and argumentation. It'll take no time for them to laugh at your face as if you're some mentally imbalanced person -- I kid you not. Come up with a better argument.

Boss, Generals are involved in Mumbai.

How do you expect them to behave?

Oh you go with your conspiracy theories.. keep going.

 

[Rig Vedic]

There is no India angle in this.. The old guy has been rubbing US the wrong way for last few months.. Now its his time to pay the price...

I think so too ... LeT has been active in Afghan Jihad for the past several years and this is the fallout of that.

 

[Developereo]

Its might be a simple logic, still baffles me why most of the Pakistanis fail to see it.

I mean what does India or US gets from going after some random old fart?

Hugo Chavez and Ahmedinajad are leaders of their country, who the fck is Hafiz Saeed? If he was some important personality then it would make sense.

He urges people to resist Indian rule in Kashmir and is clearly influential enough to motivate large numbers of people.

I am not say whether he is guilty or innocent, but that determination should be made by a court of law following due process. Indians may believe in hysterical trial-by-media, but that's not the way things work in the rest of the world.

They have already been tried and found guilty. By many different courts.

Can you post a court ruling declaring HS guilt of Mumbai?

 

[Roybot]

Why does it matter if Chavez and Ahmedinijad are leaders? What difference does it make? Maybe they're going after him because he doesn't like the US and wants Pakistan to cut the relationship with the US -- which has nothing to do with the Mumbai attacks?

You're right to an extent that you're using simple logic, except it's not just simple logic, it's overly simplistic logic. Try explaining your argument to a professor of logic and argumentation. It'll take no time for them to laugh at your face as if you're some mentally imbalanced person -- I kid you not. Come up with a better argument.

Oh you go with your conspiracy theories.. keep going.

Yeah right simple logic is conspiracy theories these days. You haven't really given me a reason as to what India or the US would get out of implicating "a random old man who runs a charity NGO", guess you don't have an answer for my "childish", "overly simple" logic thats why you are resorting to personal attacks.

Why Hafiz Saeed out of all people? Why not Abdul Sattar Edhi? He also runs a charitable organization why isn't UN declaring him a terrorist

Too many terrorist sympathizers.

 

[vsdoc]

Oh you go with your conspiracy theories.. keep going.

The ISI masterminded and controlled and executed Mumbai. The ISI is an arm of the Pakistani Army.

You cannot pull off an operation like that and keep it from the top brass.

Its as silly as saying that Osama was hiding in the backyard of your top military training institutes and the top guys of the Army knew nothing.

No one is buying such infantile naivete.

 

[India defense]

Lashing out at the US for putting a bounty of USD 10 million on his head, a combative Hafiz Mohammad Saeed today said Washington was "frustrated" with him for his countrywide protests against the resumption of NATO supplies and drone strikes.

"We are not hiding in caves for bounties to be set on finding us. I think the US is frustrated because we are taking out countrywide protests against the resumption of NATO supplies and drone strikes," LeT founder Saeed was quoted as saying by Al-Jazeera news channel.

He added, "I believe either the US has very little knowledge and is basing its decisions on wrong information being provided by India or they are just frustrated".

Saeed claimed the US move was prompted by the fact that he had been organising rallies against the reopening of NATO supply lines through Pakistan, which were closed after a cross-border attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.

The US had last night announced a USD 10 million bounty on the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief who is also the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

The move has been welcomed by India today, which said it sends a strong signal to LeT and its "patrons" that the international community remains united in combating terrorism.

Wendy Sherman, the US Undersecretary of State, said a USD 2 million bounty had been announced for Abul Rehman Makki, the brother-in-law of Saeed.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he is yet to receive any official intimation from the US and noted that Saeed had been put under house arrest but was given bail by the Supreme Court.

"We should have been taken into confidence as to what has happened," he said when asked about the US putting a reward on Saeed's head.

 

[VelocuR]

Hafiz Saeed demands proof after US bounty
Chief of Pakistan group blamed for Mumbai attack tells Al Jazeera his opposition to NATO supply lines led to $10m bounty

Saeed was placed under house arrest in December 2008, but a court set him free by August 2009 [EPA]

Hafiz Saeed, the leader of a Pakistan-based group blamed for the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, has demanded proof after the US announced a $10m bounty on his head.

In an exclusive interview to Al Jazeera, Saeed said the US move was prompted by the fact that he had been organising rallies against the reopening of supply lines through Pakistan to NATO forces in Afghanistan.

"We are not hiding in caves for bounties to be set on finding us. I think the US is frustrated because we are taking out countrywide protests against the resumption of NATO supplies and drone strikes," Saeed said.

"I believe either the US has very little knowledge and is basing its decisions on wrong information being provided by India or they are just frustrated".

Wendy Sherman, the US undersecretary of state, on a visit to India, said a $3m bounty had also been announced for Abul Rehman Makki, the brother-in-law of Saeed.

Rewards for Justice, a programme sponsored by the US State Department, announced the cash reward for the 62-year old Saeed on its website.

"Saeed is suspected of masterminding numerous terrorist attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 166 people, including six American citizens,” the page said.

Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving gunman involved in the three-day rampage in November 2008, has been sentenced to death by an Indian court.

Kasab accused Saeed of organising the attack, which involved 10 gunmen, 9 of whom were killed during the shootout.

Lashkar-e-Taiba, designated as a terrorist organisation by the US in December 2001, is accused by India of carrying out several attacks, including the one on Mumbai.

"Popular man"

India welcomed the move as a reflection of India and US's commitment "to bring perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attacks" to justice.

"[The bounty] sends a strong signal to Lashkar-e-Taiba as also its members and patrons that the international community remains united in combating terrorism," Syed Akbaruddin, spokesman for India's ministry of external affairs said on Twitter.

Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from Lahore, where Saeed is believed to be based, said Pakistan was pressured to ban Saeed's outfits after the US invasion of Afghanistan. Lashkar-e-Taiba was the military wing of his larger organisation, Jamaat-ud-Dawah.

"He started a foundation, and his men played a key role in aid efforts after earthquake in Kashmir, and the floods in Pakistan. They still are the main frontline in any calamity. He has denied that he has any links to militancy," our correspondent said.

“A man who is popular across the country- it's not going to go down very well. It is also symbolic - that the annoucment came in India, by a high ranking US diplomat. That will be an irritant.”

The announcement comes as Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president, is due to visit India for the first time since the attacks in Mumbai.

The bounty on Saeed, same as the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, is only second to Ayman al Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden as the al-Qaeda chief. Zawahiri has $25m bounty on his head. Saeed is the fifth Pakistani national on the list.

like Osama raid part II, next choppers coming??

 

[Roybot]

He urges people to resist Indian rule in Kashmir and is clearly influential enough to motivate large numbers of people.

Which is like everyone in Hurriyat conference, who live and travel around freely in India. Why ins't anyone putting a bounty on their heads?

Whats makes Hafiz Saeeds statements so important?

 

[Dalit]

We've to understand the motivation behind US move. They don't care about Saeed. The Yanks are trying to signal their intent towards the leadership. In layman's term, do as we tell you or we'll be nasty. Though, the Yanks have some soul searching to do. After the Salala incident things naturally went downwards as far as Pak US relations are concerned. First, the closure of the vital supply route which took everyone by surprise. Not only did Pakistan close the supply routes, but have thus far maintained the closure for a long period of time. Then, a much sought review of the entire relationship. May I add, a very cunning move by Zardari to put the onus on the entire political spectrum. Meanwhile, Yanks have tried to patch things up, but to no avail. Things are pretty serious and the Yanks are starting to understand the gravity of the situation. In desperation, the Yanks have also threatened to team-up with India. Of course, a futile option. To be frank, Yanks haven't got an option and they know it. The Yanks are bluffing.

 

[VelocuR]

Detentions and sanctions
2001–2002

Pakistan detained Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. on December 21, 2001 in relation to Indian accusations of his involvement with the December 13, 2001 attack on the Lok Sabha. He was held until March 31, 2002, arrested again on May 15, and was placed under house arrest on October 31 of the same year.

2006

After the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train bombings, the provincial government of Punjab, Pakistan arrested him on August 9, 2006 and kept him under house arrest but he was released on August 28, 2006 after a Lahore High Court order. He was arrested again on the same day by the provincial government and was kept in the Canal Rest House in Sheikhupura. He was finally released after the Lahore High Court order on October 17, 2006.

2008–2009

After the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, India submitted a formal request to the U.N. Security Council to put the group Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed on the list of individuals and organizations sanctioned by the United Nations for association with terrorism. It accused the organization and its leader, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, of being virtually interchangeable with Lashkar-e-Taiba. India said that the close links between the organizations, as well as the 2,500 offices and 11 seminaries that Jamaat-ud-Dawa maintains in Pakistan, "are of immediate concern with regard to their efforts to mobilize and orchestrate terrorist activities."[18] On December 10, 2008 Hafiz Muhammad Saeed denied a link between LeT and JuD in an interview with Pakistan's Geo television stating that "no Lashkar-e-Taiba man is in Jamaat-ud-Dawa and I have never been a chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba."

On December 11, 2008 Hafiz Muhammed Saeed was again placed under house arrest when the United Nations declared Jamaat-ud-Dawa to be an LeT front.[19] Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was held in house arrest under the Maintenance of Public Order law, which allows authorities to detain temporarily individuals deemed likely to create disorder,[19] until early June 2009 when the Lahore High Court, deeming the containment to be unconstitutional, ordered Hafiz Muhammad Saeed to be released. India quickly expressed its disappointment with the decision.

On July 6, 2009 the Pakistani government filed an appeal of the court's decision. Deputy Attorney General Shah Khawar told the Associated Press that "Hafiz Saeed at liberty is a security threat."

On August 25, 2009 Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice against Hafiz Saeed, along with Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, in response to Indian requests for his extradition.

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was again placed under house arrest by the Pakistani authorities in September 2009.

 

[Vinod2070]

He urges people to resist Indian rule in Kashmir and is clearly influential enough to motivate large numbers of people.

I am not say whether he is guilty or innocent, but that determination should be made by a court of law following due process. Indians may believe in hysterical trial-by-media, but that's not the way things work in the rest of the world.

Yes, we know the way trials work in your corner.

At the Multan DPC rally on February 17, Khatm-e-Nabuwat leaders bayed for Ahmadi blood while sharing the stage with the famed Malik Ishaq, a self-acclaimed Shia-killer. Newspaper reports say Ishaq was freed last year after frightened judges treated him like a guest in the courtroom, offering him tea and biscuits. One judge attempted to hide his face with his hands. But after Ishaq read out the names of his children, the judge abandoned the trial.

Having dealt with the rant, the issue remains whether terrorists like Saeed and Osama and company deserve to be treated like civilized human beings entitled to civilian redressal mechanisms or they should be squashed at the first opportunity like mosquitoes.

The answer will depend on whether letting them open puts more innocent lives at risk or not. If it does, then the options are clear.

 

[Albatross]

someone who is not guilty why should he be afraid of anything...Doesn't this proves he is innocent otherwise a guilty man would never have the courage be so outspoken and straight...