Updated July 17th, 2019 at 21:05 IST

Donald Trump slammed for factually suicidal Hafiz Saeed tweet, netizens correct US President on Pakistan's terror mastermind

Hours after Mumbai 26/11 attacks mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder Hafiz Saeed was arrested by Pakistan's Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department,  President of USA Donald Trump in an insensible tweet claimed that US has played a role in his arrest.

Reported by: Navashree Nandini
| Image:self
Advertisement

Hours after Mumbai 26/11 attacks mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder Hafiz Saeed was arrested by Pakistan's Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department,  President of USA Donald Trump in an insensible tweet claimed that US has played a role in his arrest. The Jama'at-ud-Da'wah chief was arrested by Punjab's CTD from Lahore while he was travelling to Gujranwala. He will be sent to prison on judicial remand and will face trial.  

While the development has come amid the pressures being built on Imran Khan government in Pakistan by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to act against terror outfits and terrorists who are operating from the country, Donald Trump has made three follies in his tweet.

DONALD TRUMP'S BASELESS TWEET 

The President of United States claimed the following with regards to the arrest of Hafiz Saeed:

  • In his tweet he has said 'after ten years of search':  Hafiz Saeed has been enjoying public life in Pakistan. He fielded candidates in the Pakistan's election through Allaha-u-Akbar Tehreek party, a little-known Pakistani political party. It was a dormant political party that was already registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan, after his own Milli Muslim League (MML) was denied recognition as a political party. He has not only been in public life but has 'Ten years of search' for Saeed is a claim that has no backing because Saeed has been under broad daylight.
     
  • In his tweet, Trump has said 'so called mastermind of Mumbai Terror attacks': Hafiz Saeed is a UN-designated terrorist whom the US has placed a $10 million bounty on.
    •  India has handed over dossier of terror cases against him and evidence of his involvement in the four-day siege of Mumbai by 10 Pakistani terrorists, despite that Hafiz Saeed has been allowed for years to roam freely in Pakistan and even address anti-India rallies.
       
    • Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley is sentenced to 35 years in prison by a US court for the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai 
       
    • The US, just before the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai attacks in November, had urged Pakistan to take action against those responsible for the attacks and had offered a new reward of $5 million.
       
  • In his tweet, Trump said that it was due to US' pressure that Hafiz Saeed has been arrested. The development has come amid the pressures being built on Imran Khan government in Pakistan by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to act against terror outfits and terrorists who are operating from the country. Pakistan is currently in the grey list of FATF, and inaction on terror outfits wil result in its black listing.

HAFIZ SAEED'S ARREST IN PAKISTAN

Earlier this month, debt-ridden Pakistan authorities had launched a crackdown on Hafiz Saeed, who reportedly has been living at his Jauhar Town residence in Lahore, and other terrorists owing to the increasing international pressures to act against terrorist groups. Pakistan's Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (PCTD) had registered over 20 cases against Hafiz Saeed and his 12 aides on the charges of "terror financing" in different cities of Punjab province. Pakistan banned Saeed's charity earlier this year. However, he has not been charged or put on trial so far, despite India providing categorically handing over a dossier to Pakistan over Saeed's role in the terror attacks of Mumbai on August 21, 2009. 

Being charged guilty, Saeed and his six aides challenged the charges of terror financing and money laundering levelled against them in a Pakistani court. The JuD chief's petition claimed that he and others were not members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), alleging no nexus with LeT or Al-Qaeda. Saeed was on July 15 he was granted pre-arrest bail by an anti-terror court. In 2017, Hafiz Saeed and his four aides were detained by Pakistan but they were released after nearly 11 months when the Judicial Review Board of Punjab refused to extend their confinement.

NETIZENS CALL TRUMP OUT 

While Trump did a blunder in saying that search operations helped in finding of Hafiz Saeed, Netizens points his mistake.


DONALD TRUMP'S STAND ON PAKISTAN

Donald Trump has sternly and publicly called out Pakistan's hand in terror funding rather than terror fighting, on multiple occasions. Back in November, Trump engaging in a twitter brawl with Khan over Pakistan giving shelter to former Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. He proclaimed how the United States refuses to pay billions to India’s neighbour as there is nothing in return. Claiming Pakistan to be one of those countries who gave nothing in return, even cited Osama bin Laden and Afghanistan as an example.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Hafiz Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Also the United States, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice.

IMRAN KHAN'S VISIT TO US

Meanwhile, Khan will be visiting the United States on July 20 for the first time after taking charge as the premier of Pakistan. The Pakistan Prime Minister through his visit is hoping to revive the relations between the two countries that have been deteriorating since his got elected for office.  Apart from Pakistan's intimacy with terror, their closeness with China has also been a crucial cause of the US-Pakistan strained ties. 

Advertisement

Published July 17th, 2019 at 19:50 IST