Pak withdraws plea to extend Hafiz Saeed' house arrest

Islamabad [Pakistan], Oct. 14 (ANI): The government of Pakistan's Punjab Province has withdrawn a request to extend the house arrest of banned Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and four of his associates under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

However, all the five will continue to be kept under house arrest but under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO), the Express Tribune reported.

Justice Ejaz Afzal of the Supreme Court chaired the session of Federal Review Board, which was hearing the request, at the Supreme Court's Lahore registry on Saturday.

According to the report, a section officer of Punjab's Home Ministry informed the board that the government had not extended a notification issued for the house arrest of Hafiz Saeed under the Anti-Terrorism Act and it wants to withdraw the application. In response, the board disposed of the application.

Recently the government of Pakistan's Punjab province extended the house arrest of Saeed and his four aides for 60 more days for their activities that were "detrimental to peace and security

Saeed is a wanted terrorist by India and the United States for his alleged role in masterminding the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai that claimed 166 lives.

He even carries a bounty of 10 million USD (approx. Rs 66 crore) on his head for his role in the attack. He is an internationally designated terrorist but continues to be an influential person in Pakistan's certain religious groups.

Pakistan claims to have banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), but following the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2002, it re-emerged as Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD).

The United States has designated the JuD as a front for the LeT. (ANI)