No action can be taken against Hafiz Saeed: Pakistan PM

ISLAMABAD: Granting total immunity to the Mumbai terror attacks mastermind, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told a private news channel on Tuesday night that no action can be taken against Hafiz Saeed since no case has been registered against him.
"Action is taken when there is a case registered against someone. There is no case against Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan, if there were a case, action would have been taken," Abbasi said in a TV interview, referring to Saeed as 'sahib', a form of address or title placed after a man's name or designation as a mark of respect.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jammatud Dawa (JuD) chief, who has a $10 million bounty on him by the US state department since 2012 for his role in several acts of terror, was set free last year on November 24 after the Lahore high court directed Pakistan government to end his home detention.

Incidentally, in one of his early interviews, Abbasi had asked India to prosecute Saeed on an international forum if it thinks there was substance in its allegations. "Prosecute him internationally if there is substance in charges against him. These are accusations only. No evidence has been provided by India," he had said.

India, however, has claimed a number of times that it had provided enough evidence to Pakistan against the LeT chief.

Islamabad came under harsh criticism following a court decision to release Saeed, underscoring the difficulties faced by Abbasi's government in dealing with extremist elements in Pakistan.

Following Saeed's release, Washington had asked Pakistan to re-arrest him, warning that his release may damage bilateral relations. "The Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes," the US State Department had said in its statement.

It further stated that the JuD chief's release sends a "deeply troubling message about Pakistan's commitment to combating international terrorism".

"Pakistan's inaction will have repercussions for bilateral relations and Pakistan's global reputation," Washington had warned, stressing that Islamabad should charge Saeed for his crimes.

Speaking about India, Abbasi said during the interview that Pakistan does not think that there is a threat of war between the two neighbouring countries. "We always said that the door for talks with India is open," he said while blaming New Delhi for fabricating a 'propaganda' against the multi-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project from the very beginning.