Pak’s Punjab Govt to Withdraw Appeal against Saeed’s Release
Days after filing a petition challenging release of Jammat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, Pakistan’s Punjab government has told the Supreme Court that it wants to withdraw the plea.
Punjab government, citing reason of withdrawal, said that the decision was taken following the federal government’s failure to supply adequate proofs to support the appeal. The step has been taken days after the Punjab government filed a petition in SC challenging the Lahore High Court’s order, which released JuD chief from house arrest on June 2.
It should be noted that the appeal has come hours after the critical meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani at the NAM summit in Egypt.
Saeed was placed under a house-arrest in December last year following United Nation declaring the Jamaat-ud-Dawa a terrorist entity and front group for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan handed over a fresh dossier on its probe into the Mumbai terror attacks to the Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad.
The dossier contains information on identifying 12 new suspects and gives an update on Pakistan’s investigations into last year’s attacks.
After Singh’s disclosure on Saturday that ISI chief has met some officials of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, speculation has been rife about the powerful spy agency’s influence in the process of talks.
The Indian side is unwilling to hazard a guess on whether ISI will be part of the talks, saying it amounts to jumping several steps.
