Hafeez Saeed hobnobs with mainline Pak religious leaders again

Lahore, Jun.14 (ANI): It seems that Jamaat-ud-Daawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed continues to enjoy the patronage of the Pakistani leadership inspite of India naming him as one of the prime accused in the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai.

Over the weekend, Saeed was seen rubbing shoulders with some the mainline leaders of religious parties and a former chief of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) during march from Nasser Bagh to Charing Cross, on The Mall here to express solidarity with Palestinians and condemn Israeli atrocities.

Along with him were Syed Munawar Hasan, the Amir of Jamaat-i-Islami, Senator Sajid Mir of Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadith, Hafiz Husain Ahmed of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and Hameed Gul, a former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence

According to the Dawn, the occasion was also used to oppose the expansion of army operations against militants and alleged attempts by some forces to divert public attention from the 'real' issues towards a parliament-judiciary row.

It was the second public activity of Saeed, after being released from house arrest on court orders.

He had taken part in a pro-farmers rally in Lahore last month.

The two appearances suggest that Saeed is seeking to return to the centre-stage after having been kept on the margins of politics in the wake of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Addressing participants of the protest march, Saeed said Israeli aggression was not confined to Gaza.

The Israeli secret service had also set up offices in occupied Kashmir, the Jamaatud Dawa chief said.

He said : "Pakistan is under siege and attempts are being made with the connivance of Israel to convert it into a barren land by constructing dams on its rivers."

He described suicide bombings as attempts at defaming jihad, alleging that the "bogey of Punjabi Taliban" had been invoked to justify an army operation in southern Punjab. (ANI)