Hafiz Saeed under house arrest

Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, has been placed under house arrest in this eastern Pakistani city, according to media reports.

Police have imposed restrictions on the movement of banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and barred him from leading Eid prayers at the Gaddafi Stadium. "Police party has been deputed outside his residence restricting his movement," Geo News said.

A police contingent was deployed outside Saeed's home in Johar Town area of Lahore late last night to restrict his movements. However, it was not clear if he had been officially put under house arrest. TV news channels reported that Saeed's movements had been restricted for reasons of security. There was no official word on the issue.

Saeed, also the founder of the Lashker-e-Taiba, was expected to lead the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the Gaddafi Stadium here.

The move comes three days after Pakistani authorities filed two cases against Saeed, also the founder of LeT which is blamed for the Mumbai attacks, under the anti-terrorism act. The fresh charges slapped on him have nothing to do with the 26/11 strikes.

India has been insisting that Pakistan should take action against Saeed for his role in masterminding the Mumbai attacks but authorities here have claimed that the evidence provided by New Delhi against the JuD chief is not adequate for arresting or prosecuting him.