$10 million reward: India welcomes US bounty on Hafiz Saeed
The United States has offered a $10 million reward for the capture of the founder of the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The bounty for Saeed, who has made frequent public appearances in Pakistan as of late, was announced by US Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman in India on Monday and posted on the US government's Rewards for Justice website.
"It reflects the commitment of India and the United States to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attack to justice," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"It also sends a strong signal to LeT and also its members and patrons that the international community remains united in combating terrorism."
Washington also posted a $2 million reward for Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, described as LeT's second-in-command.
Furthermore, the foreign ministry statement said: “The foreign secretary expressed India’s sincere appreciation for US’ step to target Saeed and Makki as well as LeT.”
The move also indicates closer cooperation between the US and India in fighting extremism in the region.
“In recent years, India and the US have deepened mutual understanding on the nature of the challenges faced in fighting terrorism emanating from India’s neighbourhood. The two countries agree that all terrorist organisations, including LeT, should be defeated and have called for elimination of terrorist safe havens inside Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the foreign ministry statement added.
Scepticism prevails
However, even though the Indian has welcomed the US move, many in India and Pakistan are sceptical whether the $10 million bounty would have any effect.
"He is intrinsically linked to the ISI, the paramilitary and the proxy fighting apparatus in Pakistan, so he is high up the chain," Sreeram Chaulia, a professor at India's Jindal School of International Affairs, told AFP.
"The Pakistan establishment will not hand him over for the bounty, and any private citizen who tries to make cash through tipping off the Americans will be targeted."
Pakistan put Saeed under house arrest a month after the Mumbai attacks. But he was freed in 2009, and in 2010 the Supreme Court upheld his release on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to detain him.
Analyst Imtiaz Gul said previous unsuccessful legal action against Saeed made it difficult to detain him again.
"Arrest him on what grounds? The mere fact that the US says something may not necessarily relate in a legal case against somebody," he told AFP.
"There has to be some sort of evidence that you can prove in a court of law."
Earlier, the US State Department had strongly urged Pakistan to prevent Hafiz Saeed from moving freely in the country, freeze the assets of the groups associated with him and stop allowing LeT from acquiring weapons.
“The US government is concerned about the recent public appearances of Jamaatud Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed, including at a recent rally in Karachi,” said the department’s spokesperson Victoria Nuland.
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@DM: A good start would be eliminating people who want to keep Pakistan as a Taliban like Afghanistan. The Americans are doing that for you and not your army which is a sad commentary on the ruling elites of Pakistan.
It appears to me that the US govt cares more about Indian lives than the Indian government, India has a very clear case for putting a bounty on saeeds head but it never did. It took a country on the other side of the earth to do that. But it's not really a surprise. Indian political leaders never really cared about the common indians lives. They will only act if the lives of their ruling elites are threatened. This is clear when you look at the Indian governments response to the attack on its parliament where the ruling elites sit. It threatened war then but did no such thing after the Mumbai attacks.
@reasonable
oh really you gave half an hour to read my comment? You are welcome.
@Rakib
yeah I think you are right
@meher:
KIndly stick to facebook or put in little more effort to type the entire words it took me half an hour to read your comment and understand Thank you
Your happiness and rejoice on this US' stance about Hafiz Saeed shall never give you and USA any thing.Now the conditions and ground realities have been changed and Pakistani leaders are not the same as have been in the past.So Indian leadership please don't waste your time on this useless and fruitless issue because USA can't do any thing in this regard now and every US' leaders' effort shall be in vain Insha Allah Almighty because by doing any aggressive action in this regard USA shall face the most worst music than now facing the music in Afghanistan.So Indian leaders please don't cerebrate about it more because nothing is going to changed by this US' cowardice statement.
@meher:
"..All my positive views were gone wen i look at da type of hatred which i saw frm u guys.."
Some strong feelings on both sides when it comes to Hafiz Sayeed are understandable. However, to surrender one's finer feelings to the whims of others is defeat,in my humble opinion. Pak-India conversations are bound to be peppered with jeers & jibes.Therefore one has to take precautions on a blog. Selective reading/response would keep the vector of hatred from infecting oneself surreptitiously.
The timing is important because US wants India to support sanctions against Iran. India with other BRICS members had recently discarded the western approach of coercive action against Iran. So US involvement here is of CHOUDHARY who comes to take advantage of rivalries. It has only its own interests in mind. But Pakistan also has to realise that it's own interests lies in cooperating with India and taking action against these self-proclaimed soldiers of god. These snakes wont only eat others but will eat Pakistan from inside also.
Interesting fact: Pakistan grew at an average of 6% for 40 years straight after independence and in 1990s, had more than double per capita income of India. Now( 2011), India has 2 times more than Pak. The gap will certainly grow more for some time to come.
@pakistanbaloch: many indian like Sindhi, muslims & punjabis are same stories in india. Do they become terrorist?
there is lots of water run under bridge. do u want jehad than raise against poverty, for good eduction, for corruption, for rights of woman, for better facilities of common man. but u know this is tuff so what u gonna do... simply raise the issue of religion & India hurraayyy!!! u Win but as a nation as common man u lost my friend.
When u see poor child dont u feel he should have good home. he has every right to love good life. make elight someone life. Everyone here is someones loveone. Respect & follow true Allah... Amin....
I'm not saying he's a good guy or anything; but can y'all good ol' folks kind of just STAY OUT of our things? You know, just be the 'friendly giant' you were meant to be. Thank you, Sir, and Ma'm; really do appreciate it.
@Bombay Dude
I have start coming to diz website 15 days back after one of my friend shared a link at my facebook account ......and after looking at comments at ET i have cum to this conclusion..... All my positive views were gone wen i look at da type of hatred which i saw frm u guys.... neither I or normal Pakistani's and Muslims support such things.... U never been here so you dunt know..... And its a fact that educated and civilized Pakistani's are not as u think dey r....
who likes US and who likes india (invalid state), i wna say them,go out there,and leave our blv Pakistan,the cntry of Hafiz saeed, and o america Open your ears to hear,do u want an end to the U.S? if no ,,,,so thn why do such things? no 1 cntch our H.SAEED LONGLIVE
@meher: Nobody is against Islam. I is a lie preached by your mullah to foster emotional response and support from gullible like you. But if group of people who in name of Islam justify killing innocents whom they call kafurs or un believers then we dont see such response from people like you. Why dont you defend Islam from getting bad name by helping law apprehend and punish such people? And why is it world's fault when you cannot rein in elements from your Islamic society who creates and support terror organization like TTP, LeT, Taliban etc ??? All people who may have targeted muslims are men in uniform not civilians. In Islamic society these so called non state actors have equal or more power as state actors to declare war on countries and threaten their own establishment with dire consequence which usually means deaths of innocents and none of you Islam sympathizers take any stance against them and prevent them spoiling good name of Islam ??? Where is your voice then ? It is such emotional and foolish responses from people like you on which people like Hafiz Saeed and terror organizations thrive and feel protected. These people should never feel safe. They should see it coming for the things they have done. Justice will be done soon in one way or other.
The time has come near the truth and false will be more clear, the truth is that Hafiz Saeed's organization Jamat ud Dawa is a well known welfare organisation, they have schools, clinics and madrassas, there are many people who are getting benefit from the institutions set by Hafiz, indeed if the ban will be increased more and more people will lose the facility, because govt. itself not giving them the facility, Second thing, american involvement will be totally nullified from Pakistan. http://syedowais.blogspot.com/
We have had enough of creating and unleashing armed non-state actors . It is time to realise that nothing consructive can be achieved by such actors in Kashmir or Afghanistan . They have become a threat to our own security and sovereignty . I earnestly hope and pray that our democratic and non-democratic rulers wake up , rid themselves of the delusions to attain their goals through Saeed's and Ludghanivi's .
@canadian Hindu
I am also doing nothing and MashALLAH I am a Muslim.. but you cannot deny dat there are Hindu extremist as well similarly there are Muslims extremist.... but what ever is done to Muslims really hurts me and I cannot close my eyes....
@ Jan an hour ago Reply @ASHOK: So US citizens have more value than a south asian citizen… wats ur point?
Dear Jan,
yes, USA citizens are more valuable to USA compared to south Asian citizens. I am surprized to see such a silly question from a Pakistani Muslim knowing the background of 9-11 and presence of thousands terrorists in Pakistan.
It is USA that has announced bounty for a successful CAPTURE and prosecution of LeT who masterminded 26/11 in Mumbai in which many US CITIZENS were murdered.
USA works for its own interests as any other country do.
LeT is in the business of killing Hindus since 1989; it was only when LeT and any other similar terrorist organization kills an American citizens, US law start applying.
Indian is poor and cannot afford huge bounties for such persons. More over India governemnt is sensitive of reaction from Indian Muslims because of vote bank politics of congress and many other parties.
@ Pakistani 6 hours ago Reply @Indian: Is this Pakistani news media website, how it is allowing hatred comments which are against Pakistan… I am goin to bycott ET forever.
Hey Pakistani,
Do I have to remind you that this is WWW means World Wide Web, not confined to Pakistan. Gone are the times for false Islamic jehadi propaganda.
If you cannot take the heat, get out of the kitchen to save your face.
@meher
.... Hindus, Christians and Jews would probably do nothing. Hinduism, Christianity and Judaism are parodied on the Simpsons on a regular basis, yet Mat Groening (the producer and creator of the show) lives securely and comfortably.
@ASHOK: So US citizens have more value than a south asian citizen... wats ur point?
People who kill others are wrong.... but u cannot deny the fact that Muslims are always center of target for others.... killing Muslims during prayers, burning Quran Majeed, making pictures of prophet, always standing against Islam . These issues give material to such type of organizations to achieve their personal motives .... I want to ask that who are those who kill hundred of Muslims during Islamic processions like that of Muharram , blasphemy....always standing for propaganda against Muslims.... what will Hindus do if sum one will burn their religious book Geeta or Christian for Bible ..... to hurt ones religion can never make u right.... sorry extremely sorry......
@Indian: But they sure are scared of it. Even you people.
@pakistanibaloch:
Comparison of anybody in your list with Hafiz Sayeed is odious. Besides,US will have nothing to do with it because there is no suspicion let alone evidence against any of these 'gentlemen' of killing or causing the killing of any Americans or friends of Americans. In 26/11 Mumbai attack 26 people from 10 countries were killed apart from 37 foreigners injured & that included Americans plus citizens of traditional allies of US such as UK, Italy, Israel, Japan, Germany & so on.
@ Pakistani Baloch
None of the Indian mentioned in your list was ever involved in killing of any US citizen and None controls or sends any armed terrorists to foreign countries.
Unlike Pakistan judicial system that has a record of releasing all of those arrested for terror charges, Indian judicial system at the highest level is seized of the matter. Those found guilty will be punished.
In fact it was Indian police and law enforcement authorities who brought the cases against them unlike Pakistan establishment who try to deny or hide the crimes of its trained and armed terrorists.
What happened in 1984 or 2002 in India happens every month or week in Pakistan.
@Ashraf P: fake pakistani ,,,,i mean indians when will USA put a bounty on the heads of these ‘gentlemen’. Narendra Modi Jagdish Tytler Shri Jagmohan Bajrangji Swami Aseemanand Prasad Shrikant Purohit .Kamal Chauhan Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur Bal Thackeray
USA has declared bounty for Hafiz's successful capture or prosecution, not killing. This was a direct result of collecting evidence that LeT engineered 26/11 in Mumbai in which many US CITIZENS were murdered. They now have clinching and clear evidence with voice samples.
USA and Israel always keep the cases in which any of its citizens is murdered, open and keep collecting the evidence until a successful capture and prosecution is completed.
Hafiz can run but cannot hide. Sooner or later
Remember 10 MILLION DOLLAR bounty is equal to almost PAKISTANI ONE BILLION RUPEES.
@Sad and Hurt: ya brother you are right and america should also ask india to handover terrorists who are also involve in gujrat riots and samjota express too.
@Dr Priyanka: and which terrorist was involved in " srilankan team "surely indian terrorist....
I wish US could ask India to handover those Indian terrorists to Pakistan who burnt alive Pakistani passengers of Samjhota Express.
@Ammar javed: What lame and what shame? He is a terrorist who was involved in 26/11. So he should be punished. Full stop. As a maharashtrian whose father was from Mumbai, I feel at last justice is being done!
The U.S. has been desperate to convince India and Turkey to enforce U.S. sanctions on Iran, but both India and Turkey have refused. Worse yet for the U.S., India and Turkey are big countries, and they have a strict foreign policy not to be kowtowed around by the U.S. Obama tried to push India and Turkey on his meeting with their leaders recently in Tokyo, but he was brushed off. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan threw Obama a bone that Turkey will reduce its Iranian oil by 20%, but he won't do anything. He just gave Obama a lollipop to to lick on on his presidential campaign trail. Likewise, Indian officials told Obama that "they were looking for ways to reduce imports of Iranian oil," but that was just another diplomatic pleasantry called "mutual understanding" in diplomatic lingo, but which in street terms means: "forget it!"
Now Obama comes with a $ 10 million reward for India's most wanted Pakistani Hafiz Saeed, and he hopes that India will appreciate so it much that it will cut Iranian oil imports, and wreck its already struggling economy by the 4 years of the global recession, to reward the U.S. for the bounty!!!!!!
That kind of thinking is the epitome of naivete, but naivete has been the highest hallmark of Obama's tenure, and this one is characteristic of his tendency for "high flare that doesn't go anywhere." Nikos Retsos, retired professor
@Roni:
if indian authorities announced this amount....people will say this money should be spent on infrastructure rather than on a terrorist....
the govt will always be at fault no matter wat it does or does not
@Umair
So you justify killing people and supporting extremism on one hand and doing charitable activities on the other hand?? That ways, as per you, if US killed many muslims, they are also giving billions of aid to muslim countries to survive and live, In that case US must be the biggest messiah of the muslims??
Grow up brother. Hatred is not the solution. Preaching hatred gives birth to extremism and it takes you away from the realities. People like you need to be more rational in understanding the nefarious designs of such people in countries like yours.. Time for you to do the damage control before someone like Hafeez saeed takes ur your country and blows it.
This bounty should have been announced by Indian authorities long time ago. It is a shame that they did not!!!!!
@Pakistan politics:
"......A cheap move to exert pressure on Pakistan for the restoration of supplies......."
That is what it appears to be. There is no point in advertising a bounty for a man of fairly high visibility whose whereabouts are easily known. Indian media has seen through this game and is not half excited about it the way some opiners here are. Obviously it is a message to Pakistan & a massage for India.
@Ashraf P: last war of indians....
@Pakistani: ET is foriegn WEBSITE .indian lobbies nad foriegn lobbies are working on this...all fake pakistani and indians are come here and comments
A cheap move to exert pressure on Pakistan for the restoration of supplies
I am ashamed of our Indian Government. Like a looser it is watching from the ring side US do the dirty job of catching a terrorist that is much more harmful to India than the US. India does not have the resolve and the determination to combat terror. India has lost hundreds maybe thousands because of the actions of people like Hafiz Saeed, yet it could not come up with a bounty figure for any of them. What is the use of having so much money in the treasury when you don't know how to spend it. I hope it learns a thing or 2 from the USA on how to chase down a Terrorist. The least Indian government can do now is announce a bounty on Dawood and Tiger memon.
do a search in ISI headquarters, you can easily find him.
Nothing will happened to these JIhadis..InshaALlah
well its just that US is using india in this case, real goal of US is : to get dr shakil afridi back to US, he is held by pakistan as helped US in capturing Bin laden. that is it.
@Faesal:
Prof. Hafiz Saeed never spreads hatred, he is been in the habbit of speaking bitter truth which states like india and US never appreciate.
I feel pity for blind people like you, who have just closed their eyes for those innocent muslims hunted by U.S so far and same brutality has shown by your beloved india in kashmir. You can look at the harsh words by Hafiz Saeed who killed no one so far and doing penalty of social welfare jobs in Pakistan. His organization is 100 times better than the namely NGOs working here.
Unfortunately the time is not other than, where Islamic teachings have become words of hatred and poison and our religion has become hard to practice.
I am wirried If US allow INDIA to do same US like action in PAKISTAN and our current government and Shareef brother would call only ot make COMISSION FOR INVESTIGATION
*God bless him ..he had lost his relatives in 1947 ..his family members(including women amnd girls )were killed in 1947 and he was born in the street ....do jihad we all are with you ... *
Soon this guy is going to become Fish Food !!
Why not put bounty on ISI for all of them.
can we have operation abbotabad-2?
It's because the terrorists selectively picked up, tortured and killed US and Israeli tourists. Americans are only looking after their interests. It's just that Indian and American interests coinside here.
@Mard-e-Haq: Enough of this nonsense ! Pakistan is falling apart and all you guys talk about is "Jihad". What has it brought for Pakistan except death and destruction? Nation is half of what it was in 1947. The next war could be Pakistan's last war.
Lame lame lame lame lame lame lame. shame shame shame shame shame.
It requires Sincere Efforts from pakistani side to curb terrorism.....People Like Hafiz saeed are traitors of the world and they will be punished very severely when they go to god.....India need to be a bit harsh towards reality of pakistan which is 12th in the list of failed state,1st in porn searches,7 out of every 10 terrorist have somehow link to pakistan.....they need to realize....war of future will be on economics rather than war.......Pakistan need to introspect as the parts of FATA,balochistan,Sindhudesh and Gilgit are on the verge of bloodshed.......More people die in pakistan in an year..approx double in last 10 years than we kashmiris.....Nobody respects pakistan.....
How in the world can any country not act on the terrorist who has all visible evidence of being someone who spreads hatred and poison. It has affected other countries but not more than it has affected Pakistan itself. In the long run, these criminals are going to endanger the pakistani society itself.
Time for Pakistan to act and do the right thing, at-least for once otherwise the day when India carries out the OBL kind of raid on Pakistan might just be very near.
Pakistanis also sincerely appreciate this announcement.
How dumb of the Indians. Now, Hafiz Saeed will have the pretext to launch a new jihad against India. Expect something to be blown up. Maybe, that is why they have jumped to support this US bounty.
Hafiz Saeed wouldn't have the guts to fight the Americans though. Little guts from a big, hateful mouth. The ultimate winner of this bounty is Pakistan:-)
ET.. No point in making these news as headlines. Its no big deal what Indian foreign official said after the head bounty called by US. Write more on how constructively Pakistan can change as a nation, how can we eradicate lack of education and poverty from the subcontinent.
Of Course. Thank You Uncle Sam! :D
US and India do us another favor and take care of this terrorist for us (innocent Pakistanis). Otherwise, Pakistan will only be known for its one export! I can't say anymore.
He is in a villa next to the army cantonement area in Pindi - can I claim the reward now please!