Police say Saeed not under arrest or protective custody

A senior Pakistani police official has said Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, blamed by India for masterminding the Mumbai attacks, is not under arrest or protective custody, adding to the confusion over his status, just two days ahead of meeting of foreign ministers of the two countries in United States.

Punjab police chief Tariq Saleem Dogar has said, Saeed is not under arrest or house arrest and he has also not been placed in protective custody. Saeed has only been advised and requested to restrict his movements for the sake of his own safety and security, Dogar told a news conference in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

India has been demanding speedy investigations against the accused in Mumbai terror attacks particularly Saeed and the issue is set to dominate the meeting between External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Dogar told reporters that police were providing extra security to Saeed.

Other police officials, including Lahore police chief Pervaiz Rathore, have been maintaining that Saeed has been put under house arrest following the registration of two cases against him in Faisalabad under the Anti-Terrorism Act on charges of inciting people to wage jehad and seeking funds for his outlawed group.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said he believes Saeed is in custody though the actual position could be given only by the interior ministry. So far, there has been no statement from the Pakistan government on the exact status of Saeed's case.

No formal written order has so far been issued for Saeed's detention, police officials and a JuD spokesman have said. Police in Lahore restricted Saeed's movement on Sunday and prevented him from leading Eid prayers near the Gaddafi stadium.

Saeed, also the founder of the proscribed Lashker-e-Taiba, yesterday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking the quashing of the two First Information Reports registered against him in Faisalabad. He claimed the two cases were fake and had been registered to appease the Indian government.

The JuD chief was put under house arrest in December last year after the UN Security Council declared his group a front for the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba. He was freed on the orders of the Lahore High Court in June.

The federal and Punjab governments have filed appeals challenging his release in the Supreme Court but the matter is yet to be listed for hearing.