26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed moves UN seeking removal of his name from terror list

Hafiz Saeed, who carries a million bounty on his head, hired a Lahore-base law firm to file the plea on his behalf. (Source: AP)

Days after his release from house arrest following a Pakistan court order, 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed moved the United Nations seeking removal of his name from the list of designated terrorists. In his petition, the JuD chief contended that there is no evidence to back the allegation against him. Saeed, who carries a $10 million bounty on his head, hired a Lahore-based law firm to file the plea on his behalf.

Speaking to PTI, Supreme Court advocate Navid Rasul Mirza, who owns Mirza and Mirza Law Associates, said:  “My law firm has filed the petition on Hafiz Saeed’s behalf at the UN seeking removal of his name from its list of designated terrorists. My son Haider Rasul who is director of this firm is looking after this case.”

Saeed was placed on the global terror list in 2008 after his role in the Mumbai terror attack came to light.  An associate of Saeed, speaking to PTI, said: “In Pakistan, all cases of the JuD chief are being handled by Dogar. This firm to pursue his case in the UN has been hired in consultation with Dogar.”

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This is the first time that Saeed has hired a law firm other than that of his permanent counsel Advocate A K Dogar.

The office-bearer said Saeed has decided to challenge the UN’s decision on the basis of different court decisions since 2009 in which no allegation – either related to terrorism or otherwise – has been proved in the Pakistani courts. He said the UN’s decision to place Saeed’s name on the list of terrorists had caused harm to his reputation as it appeared that this had been done on international pressure.

“We have enough ground to fight our case in the UN. The UN should take up our petition and remove Hafiz Saeed’s name from the designated terrorists list,” he said.

LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was also placed on the terrorism black list along with Saeed. According to the UNSC’s sanctions committee, the LeT leaders were “subject to the assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo,” set out in Security Council resolution 1822.

The UNSC website says: “Saeed is proscribed for being associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al-Qaeda for participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating of acts of activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf or in support of both entities.” India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai terror attack case and also demanded trial of Saeed and

Lakhvi in the light of evidence it had provided to Islamabad. A Lahore High Court’s Judicial Review Board last week unanimously ordered Saeed’s release after the Punjab government failed to provide any evidence related to terrorism or otherwise before it.

After his release, Saeed said the US, on India’s request, pressured Pakistan to detain him. “I was detained on the pressure of the US on the Pakistani government. The US did so on the request of India,” he claimed.

India had expressed outrage over the decision of the judicial board to release Saeed, calling it an attempt by Pakistan to mainstream proscribed terrorists and a reflection of its continuing support to non-state actors. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the banned LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai terror attack in 2008.

Saeed was put under house arrest after the Mumbai attack in November 2008 but he was freed by a court in 2009. Nine of the Mumbai attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught and executed after a trial.

with PTI inputs