As outrage over Hafiz Saeed release mounts, Pakistan has said it remains committed to the implementation of UNSC 1267 sanctions.
A day after the United States urged Pakistan to re-arrest and charge Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed for his crimes, Islamabad on Saturday said it remains committed to the implementation of UNSC 1267 sanctions.
Saeed, a UN and US-designated terrorist, who has a $10 million American bounty on his head for terror activities, was freed by Pakistan on Friday.
The US has asked the Pakistan government to re-arrest and charge Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief for his crimes.
“LeT is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens. The Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes," state department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement in Washington on Friday.
India has also expressed its outrage over LeT founder’s release saying the development confirms once again the lack of seriousness by the Pakistan government in bringing to justice perpetrators of terrorism, including individuals and entities designated by the UN.
"It also appears to be an attempt by the Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists. Pakistan has not changed its policy of shielding and supporting non-state actors and its true face is visible for all to see," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in New Delhi on Thursday.
Responding to the comments made by the MEA, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said that Pakistan was committed to the implementation of UNSC 1267 sanctions regime and has taken several steps in this regard.
"The (MEA) spokesperson took exception to self-serving insinuations," he said in a statement issued late last night.
"The courts in Pakistan, pursuant to their constitutional duty, are determined to uphold rule of law and due process for all citizens of Pakistan," he added.
Legal processes are anchored in rule of law, not dictates of politics and posturing, Faisal said.
"It is in the interest of all States to speak and act in a manner that is consistent with the imperatives of adhering to rule of law at the national and international levels," he said.
Pakistan's resolve, actions and successes in the fight against terrorism, terrorist violence and terrorists is unmatched in the world, the statement said.
The FO spokesperson further said, "Pakistan condemns and opposes all forms of terrorism by any individual or group. Pakistan also opposes and condemns acts of terrorism inside Pakistan and elsewhere by India, which claims to be a champion of democracy, and international law."
Saeed, in his late 60s, was under house arrest for 297 days since January.
The fire-brand cleric's release after midnight came ahead of the 9th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.
Saeed was individually designated by the UN under the Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008.
(With agency inputs)
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