The Lahore High Court here on Monday called for report from the federal government in a petition filed by Jamaatud Daawa Chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed praying to the court to direct the respondent government to defend him before the US Court. Earlier, petitioner counsel A K Dogar argued that under the constitution, all citizens had equal rights.
He said state was constitutionally bound to protect the rights of its citizens and defend them against baseless allegations levelled by another country. Dogar said if government was defending its institutions then the other citizens charged with same allegations were also entitled to the same state protection.
The US Court had issued summons to Hafiz Saeed, ISI incumbent chief and other officials on a law suit filed by relatives of US nationals killed in Mumbai attacks. 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 and two people who it alleges were part of the ISI-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 dollars. Hafiz Saeed through his counsel pleaded that he was the head of Jamatud Daawa, a charitable organisation, and has no link with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba.