Lashkar-e-Toiba founder released
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/6062798.stm Version 0 of 1. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Toiba militant group, was released by Pakistani authorities on Wednesday morning. His release was ordered by a court in Lahore on Tuesday. Mr Saeed, who runs the controversial Jamaat-ud-Dawa charity, has been in detention since 10 August. The US has listed Jamaat-ud-Dawa as a terrorist organisation. It says the charity is a fundraising front for Lashkar-e-Toiba. The court ordered Mr Saeed's release once before, on 28 August, but the Punjab government rearrested him hours later under a public order law. Pakistan has banned Lashkar-e-Toiba but has so far described Jamaat-ud-Dawa as a legitimate Islamic charity with relief operations in the earthquake hit areas of Kashmir and northern Pakistan. However, in response to a petition challenging Mr Saeed's detention, a government official on Monday argued that Mr Saeed's activities could damage Pakistan's relations with its neighbours. Officials in India linked Lashkar-e-Toiba to the Mumbai (Bombay) train bombings in July in which more than 180 people were killed. |