Kasab's lawyer terms Saeed's release in Pak 'shocking'

The lawyer of lone captured terrorist of 2008 Mumbai terror attacks Ajmal Kasab, Abbas Kazmi, on Thursday termed Hafiz Saeed's release from house arrest in Pakistan as shocking.

A Pakistani court on Wednesday ordered the release of Saeed, accused by both the United States and India of masterminding the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai that killed 166 people.

"Hafiz Saeed's release is very shocking. Despite India giving all the evidences against Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhavi about their involvement in Mumbai attacks, the trial has dragged to nowhere, it has not reached to proper conclusion. Saeed's release can't be accepted," said Kazmi.

Saeed was put under house arrest after the Mumbai attack but was released about six months later in June 2009. This time he was put under house arrest in January.

 

Saeed heads the Jamat-ud-Dawa, or the JuD, which poses as a charity, but is a front for the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhavi, is a top leader of the LeT and currently serves as the supreme commander of operations in Kashmir and as a member of LeT's General Council.

Maintaining that Pakistan government has failed to produce sufficient evidence against Saeed, the Pakistani court passed his release orders.

Commenting on this, Kazmi said, "Neither the Pakistan Government, nor the judiciary had any intention from day one to punish these culprits. Now, it has come into open that on the pretext of lack of evidence, they have released Saeed."

He added that "the Pakistani court has been dillydallying from day one. Not only Saeed, but the Pakistani court has not taken any strong steps against Lakhvi. It is hard to understand which way the Pakistani trial is moving."

He maintained that Saeed's release order was a proof of that Pakistan wasn't doing justice.

"Pakistan doesn't have any intention to provide justice to the Mumbai attack victims by punishing the culprits."

He also said that Ajmal Kasab had confessed before the court about Saeed and others' involvement in the attacks.

"Kasab's confession before courts was an evidence of Pakistani involvement in the gruesome crime. Kasab had confessed the role of Saeed, Lakhvi, Major Iqbal and others in the Mumbai terror attacks," Kazmi said.