WASHINGTON: The United States has urged Pakistan to prosecute Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Mohammad Saeed ”to the fullest extent of law”.
The US State department’s comment came after Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, during an interview to Geo TV on Tuesday, referred to Saeed as “sahib”.
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, “We regard him as a terrorist, a part of a foreign terrorist organisation. He was the mastermind, we believe, of the 2008 Mumbai attacks which killed many people, including Americans as well, a report published in Pakistan Daily dawn said.
“We have made our points and our concerns to the Pakistani Government very clear. We believe that this individual should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Stressing that Saeed’s name is on the United Nation’s list of designated terrorists, Ms Nauert said, “He is listed by the UN Security Council 1267, the Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee for targeted sanctions due to his affiliation with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which is a designated foreign terror organisation.” Echoing US sentiments, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said, ”If somebody is designated a global terrorist, it’s done based on a lot of evidence available in public domain.”
“You can close your eyes, pretend nothing happened but they (Pakistan) have to realise what’s in front of them and take action against such people,” he said. Saeed was declared a global terrorist by the US and UN. (AGENCIES)
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