Judicial Review Board of Punjab province orders Hafiz Saeed’s release on the expiry of his 30-day house arrest
JuD chief Hafiz Saeed will soon walk free after a Pakistani judicial body on Wednesday ordered his release from house arrest, in a setback to India's efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. The banned JuD head, who carries a bounty of USD10 million announced by the US for his role in terror activities, has been under detention since January this year.
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Hafiz Saeed, head of the Pakistani religious party, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, waves on his arrival to a court in Lahore, Pakistan, on Tuesday. Pic/AP/PTI
Rejecting the government's plea to extend his detention for another three months, the Judicial Review Board of Punjab province comprising judges of the Lahore High Court ordered Saeed's release on the expiry of his 30-day house arrest, which is going to expire in a couple of days. "The government is ordered to release JuD chief Hafiz Saeed if he is not wanted in any other case," said the board, which was headed by Justice Abdul Sami Khan. Saeed may walk out free if the government does not detain him in any other case. India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to re-investigate the Mumbai terror attack and also demanded trial of Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in the light of evidence it had provided to Islamabad.
30 Number of days for which Saeed's house arrest was extended last month