Petition before High Court: Hafiz Saeed says govt should defend him before US court
JD chief asserts right to equal treatment as citizen.
LAHORE:
Jamatud Dawa ameer Hafiz Saeed has moved a writ petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking a direction to the federal government to defend him in an American court which has issued him a summons. The suit has been filed by the relatives of an American citizen who was killed in the Mumbai attacks.
Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were gunned down by militants at the Chhabad House in Mumbai. Their son, Moshe, escaped the attack. Moshe, and other people, have filed nine claims against Lashkar-e-Tayaba (LeT), Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Azam Cheema and Sajid Majid as well as the former director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Nadeem Taj and its current head, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha. Major Iqbal and Major Samir have also been named as part of the ISI. The plaintiffs have asked for over $75,000 in damages for each claim.
Through his lawyer AK Dogar, Saeed has said that he is the head of Jamatud Dawa, a charitable organisation and that he has not connection with LeT. He has said that after the government had detained him in 2009, a full bench of the LHC had ordered him released. The bench had held, he said, that there was no evidence that he had any links with AlQaeda or any other terrorist movement. He said false allegations had been made by an Indian lobby that he was involved in the Mumbai attacks. He said there was no evidence that he was involved in any anti-security activities nor that he was a security risk.
Saeed said that the federal government had announced on December 31 that it would defend the ISI’s head in the suit. He said as a Pakistani citizen he enjoyed the same rights as any other individual. He said the government should defend him in the same manner as ISI officials.
He said the prime minister had told the National Assembly that ISI officials would not be handed over to an American court and that the government would take appropriate steps to have the case dismissed. He said access to justice was every citizen’s fundamental right. He said under Article 25 of the Constitution all citizens are equal and entitled to equal protection by the law.
A reply, in response to the summons, has been sent to an American court, repudiating the assumption of jurisdiction by the American court. International law, the reply says, does not allow exercise of jurisdiction over the persons and property of other states.
He prayed to the court that the federal government be directed to defend him in the American court like the ISI officials that are being so defended against allegations.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2011.
Jamatud Dawa ameer Hafiz Saeed has moved a writ petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking a direction to the federal government to defend him in an American court which has issued him a summons. The suit has been filed by the relatives of an American citizen who was killed in the Mumbai attacks.
Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were gunned down by militants at the Chhabad House in Mumbai. Their son, Moshe, escaped the attack. Moshe, and other people, have filed nine claims against Lashkar-e-Tayaba (LeT), Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Azam Cheema and Sajid Majid as well as the former director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Nadeem Taj and its current head, Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha. Major Iqbal and Major Samir have also been named as part of the ISI. The plaintiffs have asked for over $75,000 in damages for each claim.
Through his lawyer AK Dogar, Saeed has said that he is the head of Jamatud Dawa, a charitable organisation and that he has not connection with LeT. He has said that after the government had detained him in 2009, a full bench of the LHC had ordered him released. The bench had held, he said, that there was no evidence that he had any links with AlQaeda or any other terrorist movement. He said false allegations had been made by an Indian lobby that he was involved in the Mumbai attacks. He said there was no evidence that he was involved in any anti-security activities nor that he was a security risk.
Saeed said that the federal government had announced on December 31 that it would defend the ISI’s head in the suit. He said as a Pakistani citizen he enjoyed the same rights as any other individual. He said the government should defend him in the same manner as ISI officials.
He said the prime minister had told the National Assembly that ISI officials would not be handed over to an American court and that the government would take appropriate steps to have the case dismissed. He said access to justice was every citizen’s fundamental right. He said under Article 25 of the Constitution all citizens are equal and entitled to equal protection by the law.
A reply, in response to the summons, has been sent to an American court, repudiating the assumption of jurisdiction by the American court. International law, the reply says, does not allow exercise of jurisdiction over the persons and property of other states.
He prayed to the court that the federal government be directed to defend him in the American court like the ISI officials that are being so defended against allegations.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2011.