Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Close on the heels of the announcement by US of $10 million bounty for capture of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Tuesday that Pakistan has enough evidence to detain him.
“India had shared enough dossiers with Pakistan on JuD founder Hafiz Saeed’s anti-India activities”, Chidambaram said talking to reporters here.
The Home Minister said that India had handed over a complete dossier on Saeed, including compact discs containing his anti-India speeches and sought his voice samples.
“Pakistan had offered to give Saeed`s voice sample to India but later reneged on the promise”, he added.
“There is enough material to detain and integrate him. We have consistently pressed for his arrest and interrogation. Pakistan was in denial mode”, he said adding “Pakistan government is not doing its duty.”
The US administration of President Barack Obama has announced a reward of $10 million for the capture or information leading to the arrest of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, giving a major boost to New Delhi’s fight against terrorism.
Welcoming the announcement of US bounty on Saeed’s head, Chidambaram said, “The fact that the US has finally recognised that Saeed and his organisation LeT were involved in terrorist activities may prod Pakistan to take action against him”.
Chidambaram said the fact that the US has finally recognised that Saeed and his organisation LeT were involved in terrorist activities may prod Pakistan to take action against him.
The Home Minister has also offered to share information on Saeed with US.
The Home Minister pointed out that the Interpol had on October 12 last year put out a notice against Saeed and four others but "none of them has been arrested".
Pakistan-based Hafiz Saeed is the founder of one of the deadliest terrorist outfits Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the chief of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).
Both LeT and JuD have been blacklisted by the US authorities for their deep-neck involvement in terrorism.
The JuD chief is on India`s most-wanted list since the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed by Pakistan-trained terrorists.
Saeed is believed to be the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks and Indian investigators have provided concrete evidence of his involvement in the 26/11 incident to Pakistan.
However, despite pressure from New Delhi and the international community on Pakistan to act against the terror operators, Saeed and his close associates continue to roam freely in the neighbouring country.
The JuD chief is often seen holding public meetings in Islamabad in the presence for several Pakistani ministers.
Shortly after the 26/11 attacks, Saeed was placed under house arrest in late 2009 in view of increased pressure from the Indian government. However, the Lahore High Court quashed all cases against Saeed and set him free.
Significantly, Saeed now carries the same reward on his head as Taliban founder Mullah Omar - who the US holds responsible for 9/11 attacks.
