Pakistan

Mumbai attacks case: FO becomes party in Hafiz Saeed’s petition

LHC allows JuD chief to make Foreign Ministry party in a petition seeking directions for the govt to defend Saeed.

Express May 06, 2011

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Thursday allowed Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed to make the Foreign Ministry a party in a petition seeking directions for the government to defend Saeed before a US court in the Mumbai attacks case.

The US court issued summons to Hafiz Saeed, ISI chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha and some other officials as a result of a lawsuit filed by relatives of US nationals killed in the Mumbai attacks. During Thursday’s proceedings, Deputy Attorney General Nasim Kashmiri said Saeed’s case falls in the domain of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but he has not made the ministry party in his petition and instead wrongly put the Ministry of Defence and the ISI in the respondent memo.

Judge Umar Ata Bandial, giving time to the petitioner to file a new respondent memo in this regards, directed the Lahore High Court office to issue a notice to the Foreign Ministry seeking a reply on the matter immediately. The court then adjourned further proceedings on the matter till May 30.

US nationals Rabbi Gabriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were killed in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Their son Moshe however survived and he along with others filed nine claims against banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) of which Saeed’s Jamaatud Dawa is said to be an affiliate.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (6)

Feroz | 13 years ago | Reply I wonder how LHC can pass such orders that make the Judicial system a laughing stock of the international community. Does the LHC not know that based on evidence provided to the UN Hafiz Saeed was designated a wanted terrorist and Pakistan was supposed to arrest him and freeze his accounts, in line with UN resolutions. State Assets have now becoming liabilities and put policy makers in a bind.I feel the time for duplicity and obfuscation is over and if this serious terrorism case in US courts is mishandled, consequences can be disastrous. If the Court orders GOP to defend Hafiz Saeed and ISI thereby equating them even Houdini will find it difficult to escape from the web that ensnares both. Is this the battle cry from the Courts to put the Establishment in a pickle ?

keen thinker | 13 years ago | Reply I think justice should be done with equality....if someone has done a real crime inside Pakistan like Raymond Davis or the man who burned so many people in samjhota express or in the bombay incidence....all need to be cared off.....ISI or RAW or CIA chiefs have a much greater duty then to do petty tasks...I think this will lead to a small group of self acting people rather than an organization which is at par and represents the whole countries security....and believe me if one head needed to do this....he would have done it with much better

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Raj | 13 years ago | Reply @Krishna:We still dont know who done the attacks. But there is a big chance that indian extremist parties may involve in Mubai attacks

Thomas | 13 years ago | Reply I think this case will become serously problematic for Pakistan. The ISI chief had to travel to U.S. for discussion after U.S government guarranty that he will not be arrested this time. If these individuals become delinquent, there sill summary judgement agnist them. They will not be able to travel outside Pakistan and may be China. Anywhere else they will be arrested.

Krishna | 13 years ago | Reply These court's issue one directive and adjourn the case for a month. At this rate when will justice be done.

Mr. Brooks | 13 years ago | Reply criminals and mass murderers roam free and still they say we are not a failed state

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