A Pakistani court on Wednesday extended a stay against the 'possible arrest' of the Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed till April 4.

Ahead of the visit of the United Nations Security Council monitoring team in Lahore, the Lahore high court on January 24 had restrained the federal government from arresting Saeed on his petition.

On January 23, Saeed had moved the court seeking protection from his possible arrest by the federal and the state governments, under the alleged pressure from the United States and India.

Lahore HC Judge Ameenuddin Khanon Wednesday  held the hearing and further extended the stay against Saeed's 'possible arrest' after the arguments of his counsel.

Saeed's counsel Advocate A K Dogar said the government had planned to arrest Saeed on the pressure of the US and India as it had already taken over the movable and immovable assets of the JuD and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation and frozen their bank accounts on the international pressure.

He said the Punjab government had detained Saeed for 10 months.

However, a judicial review board comprising judges of the high court ordered his release in November last.

"Hafiz Saeed is a founder/chairman of JuD and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) and also established 142 schools and three universities. For the last many years he has been engaged in public welfare activities across the country," Dogar said.

"All actions the (Pakistani) government has taken against his client so far footprints of the US and Indian lobby are visible on them. The Indian lobby for the last many years have been harbouring an unfounded assumption that Hafiz Saeed was somehow involved in the Mumbai attacks," he added.  -- PTI