Jamatud Dawa Chief Hafiz Saeed. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has ordered the Punjab Home Department to present its arguments today (Tuesday) on the detention of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and his aides, rejecting the law officer’s plea for more time.
An LHC division bench headed by Justice Kazim Raza Shamsi heard the case on Monday and refused to allow more time to the home department counsel to prepare his arguments.
Seeking adjournment, the law officer had contended he was informed about the hearing just a few minutes before it began and, therefore, could not prepare his arguments.
On February 22, another division bench had issued notice to the home department, seeking any material against the petitioners to justify their detention. On January 28, the Punjab government had placed the names of Saeed, Abdullah Ubaid from Faisalabad, Malik Zafar Iqbal Shahbaz and Abdul Rehman Abid from Muridke and Qazi Kashif Hussain of Multan on the watch-list of terror suspects. On February 30, the men were put under house arrest for 90 days on the recommendations of the federal interior ministry.
Earlier on January 27, the ministry had notified that JuD and its charity wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FiF) were engaged in activities ‘prejudicial to peace and security’ and in violation of Pakistan’s obligations to the United Nations.
Saeed and other JuD leaders went to court through Advocate AK Dogar with several pamphlets of JuD and FiF, claiming both the organisations were involved in volunteer work across the country.
In the petition, Dogar said the detention of Saeed and others proved that Pakistan was a dependant nation acting upon the directions of the US.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2017.
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