Hafiz Saeed is the head of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed and his four aides have been detained by Pakistan for "spreading terrorism in the name of jihad". Pakistan's home ministry, which levelled the charge, produced him before a three-member board judicial review board that's headed by Pakistan Supreme Court judge Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprises two other senior judges. Appearing before it yesterday, Hafiz Saeed said he had been detained by the Pakistan government to stop him for raising voice for Kashmiris.
Pakistan's home ministry, however, rejected his arguments and told the board that Saeed and his four aides have been detained for "spreading terrorism in the name of jihad".
The government's move came after a division bench of Lahore High Court questioned last week why Hafiz Saeed and the others weren't presented before a review board before the government extended his detention for another 90 days.
For years, Hafiz Saeed has been running free in Pakistan despite India presenting proof of his involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks, in which 166 people were killed.
In January, Pakistani authorities detained him and put him under house arrest for six months. There were speculations that the crackdown came after the US threatened sanctions unless Pakistan took action against Jaamat ud Dawa, which is also headed by Hafiz Saeed.
Saeed and his aides have contended that Pakistan detained them without any legal justification to please India and the United States. Yesterday, the Pakistan government admitted to the board that the government detained the JuD leaders "on pressure of United Nations and international organisations".
The board asked the ministry to submit a complete record regarding detention of the five men and asked the Attorney General of Pakistan to be present during the next hearing on May 15.
(with inputs from PTI)