Lahore: Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed has challenged the order of Pakistan’s Punjab government to extend his detention for 60 more days.

The Punjab Home Department issued an order on July 28 under which the detention of Saeed and his four aides — Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain —was extended for another 60 days.

Apparently frustrated with not getting a decision from the Lahore High Court that had on June 7 reserved his petition against his first detention order on January 30, Saeed yesterday filed a fresh petition challenging the detention order.

The petition says: “There is no evidence whatsoever that the petitioners are planning to spread chaos in the country or that they have planned violent demonstrations. It says the government in the impugned detention order has only shown apprehension against the petitioners.”

“The government detained the petitioners to please India and America. Courts in past have declared JuD leaders’ detention illegal as the government failed to prove its charges,” it says and requests the court to set aside the detention order for being issued without lawful authority.

The government had clarified, “In the light of a report sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government has reasons to believe that JuD and its allied organisation (Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation) are engaged in certain activities which could be prejudicial to peace and in violation of Pakistan’s obligation to the UNSC resolution.” — PTI

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