Pakistani police confined Hafiz Saeed, the accused architect of the 2008 Mumbai attacks to house arrest on Tuesday, manning barricades outside his home in the city of Lahore as supporters vowed protests
Hafiz Saeed. Pic/AFP
Lahore: Jammat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief and mastermind of the 26/11 attack, Hafiz Saeed, was placed under house arrest in Lahore last night, his outfit said.
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Pakistani leader of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) organisation Hafiz Saeed (R) leaves in a car after being detained by police in Lahore, early on January 31, 2017. Photo: AFP
The Punjab government's home department has issued a detention order of Saeed and Lahore police have reached JuD headquarters in Chauburji to implement the order, it said. He "is at Masjid-e-Qadsia Chauburji and a heavy contingent of police has surrounded the JuD headquarters," JuD official Ahmed Nadeem said.
Supporters accused Islamabad of acquiescing to the wishes of the United States, which has a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's arrest, and India.
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"This government has buckled under the pressure," JuD spokesman Nadeem Awan said.
Another spokesman, Farooq Azam, announced protests in Karachi by "different religious and Kashmir leaders".
In recent months, Saeed has been holding regular press conferences about the security crackdown in Indian-controlled Kashmir, castigating a crackdown against the mainly Muslim population there.
Hafiz Saeed addressing a rally in Pakistan. Photo: AFP
The action comes amidst pressure from the Trump administration to act against terror. The US has clearly told Islamabad that in case of not taking action against JuD and Saeed, it may face sanctions.
Hafiz Saeed was put under house arrest after the Mumbai attack, but was released about six months later in June 2009.
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