The US has strongly condemned Pakistan’s release of the alleged militant accused of masterminding the 2008 attack on Mumbai – saying it sends a deeply troubling message about its commitment to fighting terrorism.
Hafiz Saeed, accused of plotting the commando operation that left more than 160 people dead, was released from house arrest earlier this week by a three-judge panel in the city of Lahore. His spokesman, Yahya Mujahid, called it a “victory of truth”.
The White House denounced the move and said it could damage US-Pakistan relations.
“Saeed’s release, after Pakistan’s failure to prosecute or charge him, sends a deeply troubling message about Pakistan’s commitment to combatting international terrorism and belies Pakistani claims that it will not provide sanctuary for terrorists on its soil,” said press secretary Sara Huckabee Sanders.
Saeed, 68, has always denied being behind the multi-target attack on Mumbai that left close to 170 people dead. In 2010, he told The Independent, “They make me out to be the biggest and most evil terrorist. Do I look like one to you?”
He has insisted that his organisation, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, is involved solely in charitable activities.
Yet both India, the US and other countries, accuse Saeed of being behind the attack. They say that while Jamaat-ud-Dawa may indeed perform charitable activities, it is also a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan militant group which became notorious for strikes on Indian targets, including a 2001 attack on its parliament in Delhi.
In December 2008, UN Secretary Council declared Jamaat-ud-Dawa a terrorist front group. In April 2012, the US announced a bounty of 10 million USD on Saeed.
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