As India cautiously watches developments in Pakistan over the house arrest of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and four others, Pakistan’s military on Tuesday defended the decision saying it was taken jointly by the civilian and military leadership.
“This is a policy decision that the state took in national interest,” Asif Ghafoor, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations, told reporters in Rawalpindi.
On Monday, the Pakistani government put Saeed under arrest and his organisation JuD and charity arm Falah-e-Insaniyat on a watch-list. Major Gen. Ghafoor denied media reports that the action was taken on pressure from the U.S.
A senior government official told The Hindu that a meeting was held in Prime Minister’s House over the weekend in which both civilian and military leadership decided to take action against JuD.
“A decision was consciously taken to put JuD’s charity branch Falah-e-Insaniyat also on the terror watch list so that the massive funding JuD gets in the name of charity can be choked,” he said requesting anonymity.
On Monday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar indicated action against JuD in a press conference when he said the government has been deliberating on taking action since it was banned by the UN. Major Gen. Ghafoor also came out soft on India saying Pakistan does not want war with India. “We don’t want war with anyone. War is not a solution,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hafiz Saeed remained under house arrest at his Johar Town residence in Lahore as his guards were deployed in the inner cordon while the police outside the main gate. JuD has indicated that it would file a petition in Lahore High Court against the house arrest.
