LHC bars govt from arresting JuD chief Hafiz Saeed

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday barred the federal and Punjab governments from arresting or putting Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed under house arrest until further notice.

The court expressed annoyance over the failure of the provincial government and the centre in submitting their replies to the court in connection with a plea filed by Saeed against his possible arrest or house arrest.

On January 23, Saeed had moved the court and challenged his possible arrest or government action against JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF).

In a petition filed through Advocate AK Dogar, Saeed stated that the government wanted to take action against him and his organisation under the pressure of the United States (US) and India. He requested the court to restrain the government from taking action against JuD or FIF.

In the writ petition, Dogar stated that Saeed and his allies were detained in Pakistan on the insistence of US and India, but the government could not provide any proof against them in the court of law.

Last month, the federal government had issued a notification directing the authorities concerned to freeze the assets of JuD and FIF under the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 after President Mamnoon Hussain promulgated the Ordinance that enables the government to impose a ban on the entities banned by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Following an amendment in Section 11-B and 11-EE of the ATA, the organisations and personnel banned through the UNSC’s resolution will stand banned in Pakistan too.

The United States has been threatening to get tough with Islamabad over its alleged ties with militants, and last month President Donald Trump’s administration suspended aid worth about $2 billion.

Islamabad denies assisting militants in Afghanistan and India.