Lahore court announces July 3 for next hearing of Hafiz Saeed's petition

Lahore (Punjab) [Pakistan], June 19 (ANI): The Lahore High Court on Monday fixed July 3 as the date for the next hearing of a petition challenging Jamaat-ud- Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed's detention as it adjourned today's hearing, according to reports. Earlier, a division bench headed by Justice Abdul Sami Khan had reserved the decision on June 7 after the Punjab Government submitted its reply over Saeed's detention. According to reply, Saeed and his aides - Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain - were detained on the instruction of the federal government for their alleged involvement in activities damaging peace and security of the country. In February, the JuD leader and his four aides challenged their house arrest as well as the addition of their names in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) in the Lahore High Court. They were put under house arrest on January 30 invoking Section 11EEE of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. Earlier on April 20, Pakistan Interior Ministry in a written reply to the Lahore High Court defended the detention of the JuD leaders saying that no laws were violated in issuance of the detention orders against Saeed and his aides. The ministry said the JuD and FIF had been kept under observation on the basis of a report sent by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. In light of that report, the federal government had reasons to believe that JuD and FIF were engaged in certain activities which could be prejudicial to peace and security and in violation of Pakistan's obligation to the United Nations Security Council resolution. The JuD has already been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in June 2014. The JuD chief also carries a reward of USD 10 million announced by the U.S. for his role in terror activities. (ANI)