Pakistan govt will not extend legal aid to Hafiz Mohammed Saeed

The Pakistan government Tuesday informed a court it would only defend the incumbent and former ISI chiefs in a US lawsuit filed by relatives of victims of the Mumbai attacks and that it would not extend legal aid to Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed.

Deputy Attorney General Nasim Kashmiri conveyed the federal government's stance in a reply submitted to the Lahore High Court in response to a petition filed by Saeed seeking assistance in defending himself in the US lawsuit.

The Foreign Ministry's reply stated that the government would not provide legal aid to any private individuals, including Saeed, who have been summoned by a US District Court in Brooklyn in connection with the lawsuit filed last year.

AK Dogar, the counsel for Saeed, argued that all Pakistani citizens had equal rights under the Constitution and that the government was constitutionally bound to protect the rights of its citizens and defend them against "baseless allegations" levelled in another country.

"If the government is defending its institutions, then other citizens charged with same allegations are also entitled to the same state protection," he claimed.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial, who is hearing the case, adjourned the matter till October 12 after Dogar sought time to file a rejoinder.

The US court had issued summons to Saeed, the current and former chiefs of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency and other Pakistani officials in connection with the lawsuit filed by relatives of two Jewish victims of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The kin of the victims have made nine claims against the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, LeT and JuD leaders, former ISI chief Nadeem Taj and incumbent chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha and others who were allegedly part of the plot behind the Mumbai attacks.

For each of the claims, the plaintiffs have sought damages of $75,000.

Saeed claimed he was the head of JuD, a "charitable organisation" and had no link with LeT.