Congress seeks concrete answers from Centre on Hafeez Saeed

Congress leader Manish Tewari today questioned the BJP-led NDA government's coercive diplomacy vis-à-vis Pakistan as he sought concrete answers from the Centre on the status of Hafeez Saeed, whose deletion of name from the 26/11 chargesheet is agog, according to media reports.

"Reports have been appearing in the public space that Pakistan has deleted Hafeez Saeed's name from the 26/11 chargesheet. The Government of India should officially confirm as to whether this is correct or not. There is not a single statement which has emanated from the governments over the same. And if these reports are unfortunately are correct then what has the government done? Have they taken it up with Pakistan? What do they intend doing in order to bring perpetrators of 26/11 to justice?" Tewari asked.

"Because if the reports are correct, the gentleman in question was present in the control room from where the entire 26/11 attack was masterminded. And if he is let off the hook in this manner and the government decides neither to confirm or deny and neither take any action, then where is the coercive diplomacy of the government?" Tewari added.

According to media reports, a chargesheet filed by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency in the anti-terrorism court on November 25, 2009 has nothing on Lakshar-e-Taiba founder and main accused in the Mumbai terror attacks Hafeez Saeed.