LeT founder set free by Pakistan

Islamabad: Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafeez Muhammad Saeed was on Wednesday released after spending about two months in preventive detention on the orders of a Pakistani court.

Saeed, also the head of self-proclaimed NGO Jamaat-ud-Dawa, was arrested on August 28.

Lahore High Court Judge Justice Akhter Shabbir on Tuesday ordered his release ignoring Pakistan government's argument that Saeed's "increased activities" could "hurt” relations with neighbouring countries.

A JUD press release said the judge while ordering the release of Saeed observed that "Pakistan's internal matters should not be influenced by foreign pressure as this amounted to an acknowledgement that Pakistan's judiciary could be influenced by foreign pressure."

The judge was apparently responding to submissions by the Assistant Advocate General (AAG) Muhammad Haneef Khatana on Monday that JUD had increased its "activities generally and this could hurt Pakistan's relations with its neighbours."

During the arguments, Ghazi countered the government's perspective that its relations with neighbouring countries could be affected by Saeed or the activities of JUD, saying only India has raised objections.

"China, Iran, and Afghanistan are also Pakistan's neighbours, yet they have never raised any concern, or blamed Saeed for anything. It is only India which has its reservations about Saeed and JUD.India, had reservations about the ISI too. Does that mean that the ISI should be shut down too?” the JUD release quoted Ghazi as arguing.

Ghazi also presented cuttings from various newspapers to the court wherein the Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had clearly praised JUD for its humanitarian services.

According to the release, the AAG denied that Saeed had been detained due to any pressure from a foreign country.

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He said there is no foreign pressure on the government, but it was a duty of any responsible government not to spoil relations with other countries.

The AAG named India exclusively and said the government did not care for India's propaganda but there were other concerns in this regard too, the release added.

Immediately after Saeed's release, supporters chanted "God is great" said Yahya Mujahid, a JuD spokesman.

"Authorities have released Hafez Saeed from a rest house which was declared a sub-jail," Mujahid said adding that Saeed has reached his home in Lahore.

"He is in good health and fasting (for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan) and told the people gathered to welcome him that he was well and in high spirits," he added.

He quoted Saeed as telling supporters immediately after his release: "Detention and arrest cannot stop me from spreading the message of Allah."

Lashkar's deadly designs on India

They came in seven separate batches and are presently based in the area of Kupwara and Anantnag.