The Lahore High Court here Tuesday sought reply from defence ministry by April 09 in a petition of Jamatud Dawa Chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed seeking directions for the government to defend him before an US court being a citizen of Pakistan. The petitioner contended that the US court had issued summons to him, ISI incumbent chief and other officials on a lawsuit filed by relatives of US nationals killed in Mumbai attacks.
As proceedings started on Tuesday, a deputy attorney general submitted a written reply on behalf of interior ministry wherein it was stated that interior ministry has nothing to do with providing of lawyer or legal assistance to anyone in lawsuit pending in USA.
Upon this, the petitioner's counsel argued that the issue might be related to defence ministry so a reply should be called from it. The court inclining with the petitioner counsel sought reply from defence ministry. US nationals Rabbi Gabriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were killed by militants in Mumbai attacks. Their son Moshe was saved and he along with other persons filed nine claims against banned outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Azam Cheema and Sajid Majid as well as the ISI, its former chief Nadeem Taj and incumbent head, Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali. They were accused of providing material support for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. For each of the claims, the plaintiffs have sought damages of 75,000 US dollars.
Hafiz Saeed through his counsel A.K Dogar pleaded in the petition that he is the head of Jamatud Dawa, a charitable organisation, and has no link with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. He said the government had detained him in 2009 and a full bench of LHC had ordered it to release him, observing that there was no evidence that Saeed had any links with al Qaeda or any terrorist organisation.
The petitioner stated that on December 16, 2010 he was served with summons from United States District Court in connection with a case relating to Mumbai attacks. He said on December 31, 2010 the federal government announced to defend legal suit against other parties, including ISI head Lieutenant General Ahmed Shujja Pasha.
Saeed pleads that he is a citizen of Pakistan and enjoying the same rights like any other individual. He asserts that the government should also defend him in the same manner as it is protecting chief of ISI and other officials. The petitioner, therefore, prayed to the court to direct the federal government to defend him before American court in the same manner as ISI officials are being protected.
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