Pakistan’s Supreme Court hearing petitions against the release from house arrest of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, blamed by India for masterminding Mumbai attacks, on Thursday imposed fine of Rs 10,000 each on federal and Punjab governments for delaying the case with their “non-cooperative attitude“.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry also adjourned the matter for a month.
During Thursday’s hearing, the bench first temporarily adjourned proceedings after it was informed that Punjab government’s counsel was pre-occupied with another case.
Later, the court adjourned the matter for a month after imposing the fine of Rs 10,000 each on the federal and Punjab governments for delaying the case and their “non-cooperative attitude.”
Saeed, also the founder of LeT, was placed under house arrest in December last year after the UN Security Council declared the JuD a terrorist group. He was freed on the orders of the Lahore High Court on June 2.
Subsequently, the federal and Punjab governments filed two petitions in the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court’s order.
The case floundered after the Punjab government said it wanted to withdraw its petition and the province’s Advocate General Raza Farooq resigned from his post in August.
On August 3, the Supreme Court had adjourned the hearing of the two petitions for an unspecified period.
Sources said the PML (N)-led government in Punjab is apparently not keen on pursuing the case against Saeed as it believes there is no evidence linking him to terrorist activities.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that Pakistani authorities would not act against Saeed on the “dictation” of India.
He said action could not be taken against the JuD chief in the absence of evidence.
