Head of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has approached the Lahore High Court seeking direction from federal government to defend him before an American court which has summoned him, ISI's present head and other officials in suit against them filed by relatives of American nationals killed in Mumbai attacks.
American nationals Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka both were gunned down by militants at the Chhabad House in Mumbai and their son Moshe survived. Moshe along with other persons have filed nine claims against banned outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) of Hafiz Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Azam Cheema and Sajid Majid as well as the ISI, its former DG Nadeem Taj and current head, Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Major Iqbal and Major Samir Ali.
They are accused of providing material support for the attacks. For each of the claims, the plaintiffs have asked for damages in excess of $75,000, to be awarded by a jury. Saeed through his counsel AK Dogar has said in the petition that he is head of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charitable organisation and has no nexus with Lashkar-e-Tayyeba. He said government had detained him in 2009 and a full bench of LHC ordered to release him, holding that there is no evidence that Saeed had any links with al Qaeda or any terrorist organisation.
He said on December 31 the federal government announced to defend legal suit against ISI head Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha. Saeed said he is a citizen of Pakistan enjoying same rights as any other individual. He said government should also defend him in the same manner as it is protecting Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and other officials.