Irked by Pakistan’s latest assertion that there is no case against leT founder and Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the United States has demanded that the “terrorist” with a $10 million bounty on his head should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Reacting to Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s comment in a TV interview that there was no case registered against “Hafiz Saeed Sahib” in Pakistan, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said that Washington has made its concerns over Saeed to Islamabad “very clear”.
“We regard him as a terrorist, a part of a foreign terrorist organization. He was the mastermind, we believe, of the 2008 Mumbai attacks which killed many people, including Americans as well,” Nauert said, adding: “We believe that this individual should be prosecuted.”
Noting that the Trump administration has “certainly seen reports” about Abbasi’s claim, Nauert said: “We have made our points and our concerns to the Pakistani Government very clear. The Pakistani Government released him from house arrest not that long ago. We believe that he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The spokesperson sought to remind Pakistan that Saeed, who carries the US bounty of $10 million since April 2012, is also listed by the UN Security Council 1267, the Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee for targeted sanctions, due to his affiliation with lashkar-e Tayyeba, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“So I just want to remind people of that, of who this individual is, and make it clear that we have addressed our concerns with the Pakistani Government,” Nauert commented, while responding to questions at a State Department media briefing.
Against the backdrop of the recent US freezing of $2 billion in security aid to Pakistan, Nauert pointedly commented: “Obviously we have had some challenging times with the Government of Pakistan. We expect that Pakistan should do a lot more to address terrorism issues. That’s something that we’ve been very clear about all along.”
The State Department spokesperson, responding to a Pakistani journalist’s question, made it clear that the entire Trump Administration was “on the same page” on the question of US relationship with Pakistan.