The LHC should wait till the challenge to the US court’s jurisdiction is decided before moving further on Jamatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed’s petition, the deputy attorney general said. PHOTO: lhc.gov.pk
The US State Department and Justice Department have challenged an American court’s issuance of summons to a former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief and other Pakistani officials, a deputy attorney general told the Lahore High Court on Monday.
The LHC should wait till the challenge to the US court’s jurisdiction is decided before moving further on Jamatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed’s petition, the deputy attorney general said. Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial adjourned the case for September 24. Saeed has asked the LHC to direct the Pakistani government to also defend him in the US court, which is handling a civil lawsuit filed by the son of an American couple killed in the Mumbai attacks of November 26, 2008.
The plaintiffs have filed nine claims against Hafiz Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Azam Cheema and Sajid Majid of Laskhar-i-Taiba and former ISI chiefs Nadeem Taj and Shuja Pasha as well as a Major Iqbal and a Major Sameer Ali. They are alleged to have provided material support for the Mumbai attacks. The plaintiffs are seeking damages of 675,000 US dollars (Rs66.46 million). The US court has issued summons to Saeed, Pasha, Taj, and others.
In his petition at the LHC, Saeed has denied having any links with Lashkar-i-Taiba and called for the government to defend him in the American court, just as it was defending the former ISI chiefs.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2013.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ