Punjab gets notice over Saeed’s detention

APakistani court yesterday served a notice on the Punjab government seeking a reply on the petition filed by JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and four others, challenging their house arrest under the antiterrorism act.

A two-member bench of the Lahore High Court headed by Justice Sardar Mohammad Shamim Khan held a hearing on Saeed’s petition and sought a reply from the Punjab government by March 7, when the next hearing in the case will be held.

Mumbai attack mastermind Saeed, Malek Zafar Iqbal, Abdur Rehman Abid, Qazi Kashif Hussain and Abdullah Ubaid yesterday filed the petition in the Lahore High yesterday and challenged their detention through senior advocate A.K. Dogar.

The government on January 30 had put Saeed and the four leaders of Jamaatud-Dawa (JuD) and Falahe-Insaniat (FIF) under house arrest in Lahore under the country’s anti- terrorism act.

UN obligations

In their petition, Saeed and the four others had said the government in light of interior ministry’s order detained them for a period of 90 days, with effect from January 30, in exercise of powers under the Anti Terrorism Act 1997.

They said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar had claimed that the government was fulfilling its obligations under United Nations Security Council’s resolutions.

“The government has proved that the Pakistan is a servile and a dependent nation. We have been serving the country like iconic social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi for the last many years,” they had claimed in the petition.

The petitioners said the United States had clearly told Islamabad that in case of not following the advice to take action against JuD, Pakistan may face sanctions.