US express concern over Hafiz Saeed's public appearances

State Department issues statement, urging Pakistan to uphold international sanctions on JuD.


Web Desk/huma Imtiaz February 16, 2012

WASHINGTON: The US State Department has raised concerns about Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed's public appearances, including at the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) rally held in Karachi earlier this week.

The State Department issued a brief press release on Thursday, In response to a question submitted earlier in the week, which said that, "Lashkar-e-Taiba and its front group Jamaatud Dawa, is internationally sanctioned because of its associations with al Qaeda.  We have and continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to uphold its obligations in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1267/1989."

The release further stated that the UN resolution "calls for all countries to freeze assets of sanctioned groups, prevent the transfer of arms to them, and prevent sanctioned individuals from entering or transiting their territories."

JuD has been functioning in the country as a religious and charity organisation. Post Mumbai attacks in 2008, the organisation was declared a terrorist organisation by the West, UN and India.

Talking to Express News, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) senior leader Liaquat Baloch said that the DPC opposed the sanctions. He said that certain organisations, which were a part of the council, had been wrongly banned by a dictator, hinting at former President Pervez Musharraf.

Baloch justified his claim by saying the if a certain exile agreement - with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif - and the NRO by the same dictator had been declared illegal, why should this ban be considered valid.

COMMENTS (98)

Syed | 12 years ago | Reply

Longlive DPC..

Ahmer Ali | 12 years ago | Reply

@Indian: "Indian channels are spoiling your youth… Biggest joke of the year… Why don’t you ban all contacts with Indians ??… We respect and love your artist and will keep listening to their beautiful song. we don’t hate good things.But we hate your support to terrorists who create problem for other countries.. I don’t care about your internal sectarian and minority killings.. bcoz in next 25 years you would easily kill them all… But you have no right to kill citizen of other countries… That’s it !!!" You are right on your stance here but did any Pakistani say you ever to respect and love our artists? And as far as you said "we hate your support to terrorism which creates problems for the other countries".Would you like to explain here that Indian brutal and cruel forces are killing innocent Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Kashmir and spreading state and military terrorism in Indian Occupied Kashmir.What about all this!!!!!!! In the near past some Hindus burnt a church.What about all this!!!!! Extremist Hindus martyred Babri mosque.What about all this!!!!!! Samjhota Express was burnt by extremist Hindus in which most of the innocent muslims were burnt.What about all this!!!!!!!!

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