Indicating that the house arrest of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed was largely a face-saving technique, India on Monday reiterated that his role in masterminding the Mumbai terror attacks should be investigated, adding that the evidence that Pakistan was seeking was on its own soil.
Commenting on the latest development that Saeed has been reportedly put under house arrest, home minister P Chidambaram pointed out that the JuD chief had been charged under two FIRs ?unrelated to 26/11?.
Police had lodged two complaints against Saeed on Friday for delivering a speech on jihad and appealing for funds for his banned JuD.
?If that is a face-saving technique, I have no objection. My demand is that now that he has been arrested, he should be interrogated on the 26/11 incidents; his role in the 26/11 attacks must be investigated,? Chidambaram said on the sidelines of a function to flag off the Chennai-New Delhi Duranto Express train here on Monday.
Reacting to the Pakistan government?s stand that there was not enough evidence to take action against Saeed, Chidambaram said: ?Evidence is on Pakistani soil. When Pakistan says give us evidence, evidence is not on Indian soil, all the evidence against Hafiz Saeed is on Pakistani soil. Therefore, one must investigate in Pakistan and find the evidence in Pakistan.?
On Sunday, national security advisor MK Narayanan had also raised doubts about the ?credibility? of the latest action against the JuD leader.
A Reuters report from Lahore said the Pakistani authorities had curbed the movement of Saeed. Police took position outside Saeed?s residence in Lahore and his aides said he was barred from leaving to lead prayers for the Eid al-Fitr festival on Monday.
?There are no written orders but he is not allowed to go out of his home. He has been barred from performing his religious duty, it is against basic human rights,? said Yahya Mujahid, a spokesman for Saeed, adding that Saeed?s son led the prayers.
A senior police official, Sohail Sukhera, told reporters outside Saeed?s residence that his movements had been restricted for security reasons, but said he was not under house arrest.
The restrictions on Saeed came two days after interior minister Rehman Malik said he was being investigated and would be arrested after concrete evidence was made available against him.
(With Reuters inputs)
