Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and three of his close aides, held by Pakistani authorities in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, were today presented before a judicial review board for seeking an extension of their detention which expires on May 9.
Saeed and the three other JuD leaders – Amir Hamza, Col (retired) Nazir Ahmed and Mufti Abdur Rehman – were brought to the Lahore High Court amidst tight security and presented before the three-member review board.
The JuD chief and the other militant leaders were placed under house arrest on December 12 last year under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance, which allows a person to be held for up to 90 days.
After the expiry of this period, the judicial review board extended their detention by another two months on March 9. This extension is set to end on May 9 and authorities have decided to ask that they be held for some more time, official sources said. JuD is the frontal organisation of the LeT, blamed for the Mumbai mayhem.
Saeed and the other JuD leaders have also filed a petition in the Lahore High Court challenging their detention. Following a request from the government counsel, the judge hearing the petition yesterday decided to ask the Chief Justice of the High Court to constitute a larger bench to take up the matter.