Authorities urge the High Court not to grant any relief to the JuD chief

Pakistani authorities, on Friday, offered to provide all evidence against Hafiz Saeed and his banned organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) privately to a High Court judge in his chambers. The authorities also urged the court to not grant any relief to Saeed, saying it was a highly sensitive matter.

However, the court was not informed as to when the government would file specific charges against Saeed.

Justice Mazahir Naqvi of Lahore High Court accepted the request of the Secretary of the Interior and asked him to present all evidence against Hafiz Saeed and JuD in a hearing next week.

Justice Naqvi had warned the government earlier this week that Saeed would be freed unless evidence was presented against the JuD leader. On Friday, Interior Ministry Secretary Arshad Mirza appeared before the court and said court will be given all evidence.

Arrest and bounty

Saeed and JuD were already banned by the UN while U.S. has put $10 million bounty on his arrest.

Saeed was arrested in a crackdown in January this year and put under house arrest. His lawyer A.K. Dogar told the court on Friday that the Punjab government had once again extended Hafiz Saeed's detention for three months.

Saeed challenged his detention in the Lahore High Court alleging that his arrest was due to U.S. pressure and that he had never been charged for any crime.

No formal charges have been filed against Saeed so far by Pakistani authorities.

The Milli Muslim League party

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan's Election Commission rejected the application of Milli Muslim League party formed by Saeed. In a unanimous decision, all four members of the Election Commission rejected the application. The Pakistan government had already recommended to the ECP last month that it will not give any security clearance to MML.

In a letter to the Election Commission on September 26, the Interior Ministry said JuD and its charity wing Falah-i-Insaaniyat were under sanctions within the country and internationally.

MML, which was launched in September, even fielded a candidate in an independent capacity in a by-election caused by the disqualification of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Despite the independent capacity, MML used JuD head Hafiz Saeed's photographs on the banners and social media campaigns. The campaign was anti-India and accused the ruling party PML(N) and Sharif of being pro-India.

Although the candidate lost, he got got more votes than mainstream Pakistan Peoples Party and Jamaat-i-Islami. MML has already announced that it would field a candidate in the upcoming by-elections in Peshawar on October 26.

Sources told The Hindu that the U.S. had sent a written protest note over MML and its political role while several other countries expressed their concern.