The release of Hafiz Saeed is yet more proof of Pakistan’s intransigent attitude towards terrorism (“Pak. court frees Hafiz Saeed”, Nov. 23). After terror charges were withdrawn against Saeed and Jamaat-ud-Dawa last month, it was a foregone conclusion that Pakistan was paving the way for his safe release. Though he was declared a global terrorist and carries a bounty of $10 million announced by the U.S., Saeed was only kept under house arrest. It is beyond my comprehension why the U.S. continues to provide aid to Pakistan. India should take up this issue strongly with the international community and also at the UN. Pakistan must understand that its lacklustre commitment to combat terrorism will only imperil its own safety at some point of time.
V. Subramanian,
Chennai
The entire ‘trial’ appears to have been an eyewash. It was futile to expect an impartial investigation by the Pakistani establishment to facilitate justice. Both the legislature and the judiciary in Pakistan appear to be subservient to the military establishment. The country is losing credibility.
Moin Syed,
Gulbarg
Hafiz Saeed’s release affirms Pakistan’s doublespeak. It was in September that the Pakistan Foreign Minister called Saeed a “liability” and now, two months later, Saeed has been released. India must keep a close watch over Saeed’s activities and thwart any attempts by him to disturb peace in the Kashmir Valley and other parts of India.
K.R. Srinivasan,
Secunderabad
Hafiz Saeed’s release is no surprise. With the Trump administration in the U.S. shying away from clamping down on the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the parent organisation of the JuD, and delinking it from the Haqqani network, Pakistan must have felt emboldened to release Saeed. India’s hope that the U.S. would take a stringent stand on terror groups operating out of Pakistan is now belied. It is time we go after terror elements based in Pakistan on our own and send an unequivocal message to the world that we are no longer a soft state.
M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan
