Hafiz Saeed released from house arrest
JUD chief calls Sharif a ‘traitor;’ US deeply concerned over Saeed’s release: Official
LAHORE: Haiz Saeed called ousted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif a “traitor” on Friday for seeking peace with neighbour and arch-foe India.
Saeed spoke at Friday prayers after being freed from house arrest by a court that said there was no evidence to hold him.
Saeed was placed under house arrest in January while Sharif was still prime minister, a move that drew praise from India.
In July, a Supreme Court ruling disqualiied Sharif from ofice over a corruption investigation, though his party still runs the government with a close ally as prime minister.
Saeed, however, said Sharif deserved to be removed for his peace overtures with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Sharif asks why he was ousted? I tell him he was ousted, because he committed treason against Pakistan by developing friendship with Modi, killers of thousands of Muslims,” Saeed said.
Meanwhile, a US official said Washington is “deeply concerned” at the release of Saeed.
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Saeed’s organisation, Lashkar-e-taiba, was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians, including American citizens.
“The Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes,” Nauert said in a statement.
Saeed has repeatedly denied involvement in the 2008 Mumbai violence in which 10 gunmen attacked targets in India’s largest city, including two luxury hotels, a Jewish centre and a railway station.
The assault brought nuclear-armed neighbours Pakistan and India to the brink of war.
“I’m happy that no allegation against me was proved,” Saeed told supporters after his release in the city of Lahore, according to a video released by the Jamaat-ud-dawa (JUD) charity, which he heads.
Saeed blamed India for his incarceration in Pakistan, saying “Pakistan’s rulers detained me on the aspiration of Modi because of their friendship with him.”
While Saeed was under house arrest, his JUD charity launched a political party, the Milli Muslim League (MML), which has won thousands of votes in by-elections.
Senior government and retired military igures say the party has the backing of Pakistan’s military. The military denies any direct involvement in civilian politics.