New Delhi:
Lashing out at the US for announcing a $10 million reward on his head, a combative Hafiz Mohammad Saeed today said Washington was "frustrated" with him for his countrywide protests against the resumption of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) supplies and drone strikes.
"We are not hiding in caves for bounties to be set on finding us. I think the US is frustrated because we are taking out countrywide protests against the resumption of NATO supplies and drone strikes," LeT founder Saeed was quoted as saying by Al-Jazeera news channel.
He added, "I believe either the US has very little knowledge and is basing its decisions on wrong information being provided by India or they are just frustrated".
Saeed claimed the US move was prompted by the fact that he had been organising rallies against the reopening of NATO supply lines through Pakistan, which were closed after a cross-border attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.
The US had last night announced a $10 million bounty on the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief who is also the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
The move has been welcomed by India today, which said it sends a strong signal to Lashkar-e-Taiba and its "patrons" that the international community remains united in combating terrorism.
Wendy Sherman, the US Undersecretary of State, said a USD 2 million bounty had been announced for Abul Rehman Makki, the brother-in-law of Saeed. Meanwhile, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he is yet to receive any official intimation from the US and noted that Saeed had been put under house arrest but was given bail by the Supreme Court.
"We should have been taken into confidence as to what has happened," he said when asked about the US putting a reward on Saeed's head.