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Hafiz Saeed: Can Pakistan be trusted this time?

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Praveen Shekhar
Praveen ShekharFeb 24, 2017 | 09:18

Hafiz Saeed: Can Pakistan be trusted this time?

The Pakistan government’s move in putting Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed on terror list and a flurry of other actions give the impression that India has finally been able to put pressure on Islamabad.

A couple of months back, the 26/11 mastermind, along with four other members of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, was placed in preventive detention and later put under house arrest, only to be released.

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But Saeed has been listed under Pakistan’s anti- terrorism act by the provincial Punjab government a few days ago. It also cancelled his license to carry weapons, a step taken in "line with the government's actions against the terrorist".

Islamabad has also reportedly put restrictions on the functioning and funding of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its charitable front organisation — Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, while Pakistan's army has backed Saeed’s detention by terming it a “policy decision in the national interest”.

nawaz-modi_022317093628.jpg
The Ministry of External Affairs has described his "house arrest" of Hafiz Saeed as the “first logical step”. (Credit: AP photo)

But should India be euphoric about it?

The Ministry of External Affairs has described his "house arrest" as the “first logical step” towards bringing “the international terrorist to justice”. But it is too early to jump to conclusions because on umpteen occasions in the past India has been deceived by seemingly positive signals from Islamabad. 

The move against Hafiz Saeed is not new or the most serious action taken against him in the past two decades. Since 2001, he has been in and out of detention at least five times, and released by the courts on a number of occasions.

Besides, unlike in 2008 and 2009, when he was detained for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case, this time there has been no FIR registered or any specific reason given.

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If Pakistan were indeed serious, these actions should have been carried out in December 2008 when Saeed was designated a terrorist by the UN (Saeed is the head of Falah-e-Insaniat foundation and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, both groups listed as terrorist organisations by the US and the UN Security Council).

Let's take a look at Pakistan's flip flops over the years.

December 2001Hafiz detained after attack on Indian Parliament

March 2002Released from house arrest

August 2006Arrested in connection with 2006 Mumbai train blasts

October 2006 Lahore High Court orders release

December 2008UN declares Hafiz Saeed a terrorist; Pakistan orders house arrest

July 2009Pakistan court orders release

September 2009 Interpol issues notice; Hafiz Saeed put under house arrest

October 2009 Lahore High Court orders release

It shouldn't come as a surprise to India why Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf "acted as Saeed's spokesperson" and asked the Nawaz Sharif government to release him from his 90-day house arrest, claiming his Jamaat-ud Dawa is a "very fine NGO" engaged in relief work.

"In my opinion they are against Taliban (in Pakistan), they did not commit any terrorism in Pakistan or anywhere in the world. So they should be dealt separately," Musharraf was quoted as saying by a local television channel.

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"We (as a nation) remain confused on terrorism, like we are confused in respect to JuD and Hafiz Saeed."

It is quite likely that Pakistan’s action was actually timed for the five-day meeting of the Financial Action Task Force in Paris this week, where a report on Pakistan’s terror funding record is being presented.

The move against Saeed could be a result of Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif's efforts to "prove his sincerity" to both US president Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narednra Modi, even as he faces domestic pressure in wake of a series of terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

Even though it's too early say what signals Pakistan is trying to send, but there is no reason why India shouldn't think Pakistan's action against Saeed is a mere eyewash.

Last updated: February 24, 2017 | 09:18
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