No action can be taken against Hafiz Saeed 'sahib': Pak PM
January 19, 2018  00:13
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Pakistan will not act against Hafiz Saeed 'sahib' as there is no case registered against him in the country, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said, giving a clean chit to the 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind.

Saeed, the chief of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah, was released from house arrest in Pakistan in November.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people.

It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in June 2014.

Abbasi, during an interview to Geo TV on Tuesday, referred to Saeed as 'sahib' or 'sir'.

"There is no case against Hafiz Saeed sahib in Pakistan. Only when there is a case can there be action," Abbasi said when asked why there was no action against Saeed, a United Nations-designated terrorist.

After his release from house arrest, Saeed had confirmed that the JuD will contest the 2018 general elections under the banner of the Milli Muslim League, which is yet to be registered with the Election Commission.

The US has said it was concerned about Saeed running for office in Pakistan despite carrying a $10 million bounty on his head for terror activities.

It had also asked Pakistan to re-arrest him.

When asked why the Pakistan government did not let Saeed's party go mainstream, Abbasi claimed that it was not the government's decision and that the Election Commission acts according to its own rules.

He also said there was no danger of a war with India and both countries should ensure there is no escalation of the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.   -- PTI
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