LAHORE: Two weeks after the Supreme Court of Pakistan dismissed the federal government’s appeal challenging the release of Hafiz Saeed for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the founding ameer of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) decided to indulge in political activities by leading a rally of the Jamaatul Daawa (JuD) on The Mall in Lahore, this time to express solidarity with Palestinians and condemn Israeli atrocities.
The apex court had dismissed the government’s appeal on May 25, 2010 while citing flaws in the official stance and ruling that it had failed to provide sufficient evidence against Hafiz Saeed pertaining to his involvement in terrorist activities. Two weeks later, on June 13, 2010, Hafiz Saeed was seen standing alongside several top leaders of the mainstream religious parties as his Jamaatud Dawa held a march from Nasser Bagh to Charing Cross, on The Mall, which was also attended by Syed Munawar Hasan, the ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Sajid Mir, the ameer of the Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith, Hafiz Husain Ahmed, the secretary general of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Lt Gen (retd) Hameed Gul, a former director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence. The occasion was also used to oppose the expansion of Pakistan’s Army military operations against the Taliban militants in the tribal areas of the country.
It was the second public activity of Hafiz Saeed, accused by Delhi of masterminding the Mumbai attacks, after being released from house arrest on court orders. He had taken part in a pro-farmers rally in Lahore last month. The two appearances suggest that Hafiz Saeed is seeking to return to the centre-stage after having been kept on the margins of politics in the wake of the Nov 2008 attacks in Mumbai. Muslim rulers around the world were urged by the speakers at the rally to unite in order to break the Israeli siege of Palestinians in Gaza. Participants of the march carried placards and banners inscribed with slogans against Israeli forces for the attack last month on the Freedom Flotilla taking aid to besieged Palestinians in Gaza. A heavy contingent of police provided security cover to the gathering along with volunteers of the Dawa.
In his speech, Hafiz Saeed said Israeli aggression was not confined to Gaza. The Israeli secret service had also set up offices in occupied Kashmir, the Jamaatud Dawa chief said. He said Pakistan was in danger and this was not the time to foment differences between parliament and the judiciary. “Pakistan is under siege and attempts are being made with the connivance of Israel to convert it into a barren land by constructing dams on its rivers.” He described suicide bombings as attempts at defaming jehad, alleging that the “bogey of Punjabi Taliban” had been invoked to justify an army operation in southern Punjab. But those operations could not continue for long, he warned.
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