26/11 Attack Mastermind Hafiz Saeed Files Petition In UN To Remove His Name From Terror List

Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) head Hafiz Saeed has filed a petition in the United Nations to get his name removed from the list of terrorists proscribed by the world body.

According to Hindustan Times, Lahore-based law firm Mirza and Mirza, which represents Saeed, filed the petition while he was still under house arrest. Navid Rasul Mirza, who has served as the Prosecutor General for Pakistan in the National Accountability Bureau and as the Advocate General of Punjab from March 2015 to January 2016, confirmed that his firm had filed for Saeed’s de-listing.

Last week, Saeed walked free after a judicial body in Pakistan refused to extend his detention and ordered his release citing "insufficient evidence."

He was designated a terrorist by the UN under UNSCR 1267 (UN Security Council Resolution) in December 2008 following the November 2008 attack in Mumbai.

The Mumbai terror attack had led the US to also announce a $10 million bounty for Saeed. The JuD is believed to be the front of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was responsible for the 26/11 attack.

HT also claimed to have seen operative parts of the petition, which says: “I have been engaged by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed (“the petitioner”), to submit on his behalf this de-listing request for the removal of his name from the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions list being maintained by the United Nations Security Council’s ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, pursuant to the United Nations Security Council Resolutions...”

On Monday, France has conveyed its anguish to Pakistan over the release of Saeed. On Saturday, the US also demanded immediate re-arrest and prosecution of Saeed, warning Islamabad that there would be "repercussions" for bilateral ties if it fails to take "decisive action" against the notorious terrorist.

French diplomatic sources said here that Paris has conveyed its deep concern to Pakistan over the release of Saeed whose outfit was listed as a terror group by the Sanctions Committee of the UN.

They said France and India will continue their "relentless" efforts to combat terrorism, and enhancing cooperation to deal with the menace will be an important aspect of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit here in early 2018.