Saeed hearing adjourned by Lahore High Court

Dogar also rebutted arguments presented by Pakistan’s Attorney General Latif Khosa during the last hearing of the case on May 30.

Referring to the government’s contention that Saeed was detained after the UN Security Council designated the JuD a terrorist organisation,Dogar said Islamabad had not acted on several UN resolutions on the Kashmir issue,which had been put in cold storage.

He also claimed the UN acted on the dictates of the US.

During the last hearing,Attorney General Khosa had told the court that the government had evidence that showed the JuD’s “prima facie links” with Al Qaida. This was the first time that Pakistan admitted that JuD has links with Al Qaida.

However,Dogar told the court on Monday that while Al Qaida has been designated a terrorist group by the UN and several countries,it was not banned under Pakistani laws.

The bench adjourned the hearing till Tuesday after hearing Dogar’s arguments.

Saeed and his close aide Col (retired) Nazir Ahmed have challenged their detention through a petition filed in the High Court.

Saeed and several other JuD leaders were placed under house arrest in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks last year but most of them were subsequently freed.

During the last hearing,the Attorney General informed the court that the government had “classified information” that would justify the detention of Saeed and Ahmed.

On Khosa’s request,the bench presided over by Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry had a closed-door meeting with him where he apprised them of the classified information.

A judicial review board of the Lahore High Court recently extended the detention of Saeed,also the founder of the Lashker-e-Taiba,and Ahmed by two months till July 8.

Five LeT activists,including Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah,are currently being tried by an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi for alleged involvement in the Mumbai attacks.