Principle is that a man should be detained if there is sufficient evidence of him being involved in a particular crime
ISLAMABAD: This is with reference to Ejaz Haider’s article of April 5 titled “Emperor Nero and the US”. I am horrified at the number of Pakistanis who have no problem in Hafiz Saeed being handed over to the US government. Personally, I have never been inspired by Saeed, and I have no sympathy whatsoever with whatever cause he may be involved in, but the principle is that a man should be detained if there is sufficient evidence of him being involved in a particular crime.
The US bounty announcement clearly establishes that for now there is no evidence because the reward is for evidence leading to his conviction. Compare this to the case of Raymond Davis, a US citizen who killed two Pakistani men in broad daylight and managed to leave the country without any punishment except for the few weeks he was kept in what was more or less protective custody.
Why are we so insistent on handing over our citizens to a foreign country? If there is a case against Hafiz Saeed why can he not be tried in a Pakistani court? There may be some people who may not agree with Saeed’s worldview or may not like the fact that he has a beard but they should think at least about keeping their country’s sovereignty intact.
Sarah Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2012.
