- JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed, 37 others placed on Exit Control List
ISLAMABAD, February 1: The Ministry of Interior on Wednesday stated that Pakistan does not need India’s approval over the recent action the government took regarding Hafiz Saeed, chief of proscribed organisation Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), sources reported.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement on Tuesday, saying Pakistan had carried out such actions “in the past also” and only a “credible crackdown against the mastermind of Mumbai terrorist attack… would be proof of Pakistan’s sincerity.”
Rebuffing India’s reaction, the interior ministry issued a statement saying “as a matter of record, the Pakistan government took these actions as per its obligations vis-à-vis listing of JuD under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267.”
The ministry’s spokesperson said various actions should have been taken under the relevant resolution, such as implementing an arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze by previous governments.
“For some reason the past leadership did not act,” he added.
The ministry further stated that India has constantly been using Hafiz Saeed’s political activities as a tool to malign Pakistan.
“The international community should take note and understand that Pakistan is a democratic society, where judiciary takes free, independent and transparent decisions. If indeed India is serious about its allegations, it should come up with concrete evidence against Hafiz Mohammad Saeed,” read the statement.
The evidence should be such that it is “sustainable in the court of law in Pakistan or for that matter, anywhere in the world”, the spokesman added.
“Mere casting aspirations and levelling allegations without any corroboratory evidence will not help [preserve] peace in the region,” interior ministry said.
The ministry further stated that Pakistan is still waiting for a justification and explanation from India about its claim that all those involved in the 2008 Samjhota Express bombing, where 68 people, mostly Pakistanis, were killed, have got off scot-free.
The Ministry has placed name of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed among 38 others on the Exit Control List, two days after he was placed under house arrest. The ministry has forwarded a letter to all provincial governments and the Federal Investigation Agency, which included names of all 38 individuals placed on the ECL.
All of them were said to be affiliated with JuD or Lashkar-e-Taiba. On Monday, authorities had placed Hafiz Saeed under house arrest along with four other individuals, namely Abdullah Ubaid, Zafar Iqbal, Abdur Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Niaz.-Agencies
