Pakistan to file FIR against Hafiz Saeed

ISLAMABAD: A top official of the Pakistan government said on Wednesday that an FIR would soon be lodged against Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, currently in house arrest under an anti-terrorism law.

The crackdown on the Mumbai attack mastermind and others was described as "cowardly" by assorted terror and militant groups, with Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin saying it was "painful". Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan said all state institutions were on board before action was taken against Saeed, adding, "The charges against him will be known in a few days."

Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah said more activists of JuD and its front Falaha-i-Insaaniyat (FIF) would be booked soon.



"We're monitoring the activities of JuD and FIF workers. More activists will be detained under the fourth schedule of the anti-terrorism law," Sanaullah said, telling reporters that Saeed's Kashmir policy was at variance with Pakistan's. "We won't compromise on our national interest. Our policy on Kashmir is different from JuD's," the minister said.

Syed Salahuddin issued a statement saying the arrest not only sent "a negative and disappointing message" to the people in "India-held Kashmir", but also showed "Pakistan's weak role in the ongoing freedom struggle" of Kashmiris. He urged the Pakistani government to revoke the detention, which led to a few pro-JuD demonstrations in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.