Islamabad: A senior Pakistani police official has said Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, blamed by India for masterminding the Mumbai attacks, is not under arrest or protective custody, adding to the confusion over his status, just two days ahead of meeting of foreign ministers of the two countries in United States.
Punjab police chief Tariq Saleem Dogar said, Saeed has only been "advised" and "requested" to restrict his movements for the sake of his own safety and security.
India has been demanding investigations against the accused in Mumbai terror attacks, particularly Saeed, and the issue is set to dominate the meeting between External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Dogar told reporters that police were providing "extra security" to Saeed who is the founder of terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Other police officials, including Lahore police chief Pervaiz Rathore, have been maintaining that Saeed has been put under house arrest following the registration of two cases against him in Faisalabad under the Anti-Terrorism Act on charges of inciting people to wage jehad and seeking funds for his outlawed group.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on September 22 had said that Saeed had been under house arrest while addressing a press conference in Multan.
Gilani also said that Pakistan was always ready to cooperate with India on terror.
Meanwhile, Saeed has filed a petition in a Pakistani court seeking the discharge of two ‘fake’ cases registered against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The writ petition, filed in the Lahore High Court by Saeed’s lawyer on Thursday, said that the two First Information Reports registered against him in Faisalabad last week were “without lawful authority and of no legal effect”.
The petition also claimed that the Indian Government has been “pressing” Pakistan to take action against Saeed even though there is “no charge” against him.
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