Analysts have said Pakistan is unlikely to arrest Hafiz Mohammad Saeed because of his alleged links with the country's intelligence agency and the political danger of doing Washington's bidding in a country where anti-American sentiment is rampant.
Publish dateWednesday 4 April 2012 - 17:43
Story Code : 39137
Hafiz Mohammad Saeed:
Pakistani militant leader thumbs nose at US bounty
A day after the U.S. slapped a $10 million bounty on militant leaders, he responded by scheduling a press conference near army headquarters Wednesday in a sign of defiance that could anger Washington.
Saeed, 61, has been accused of orchestrating the 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people, including six American citizens. But he operates openly in Pakistan, giving public speeches and appearing on TV talk shows.
The rewards marked a shift in the long standing U.S. calculation that going after the leadership of an organization used as a proxy by the Pakistani military would cause too much friction with the Pakistani government.
The U.S. could hope the bounty will force Pakistan to curb Saeed's activities, even if it isn't willing to arrest him. But the press conference he called Wednesday in the garrison town of Rawalpindi just outside Islamabad was an early sign it may not have much impact.
He also gave multiple interviews Tuesday in which he denied involvement in the Mumbai attacks and said the U.S. was just trying to prevent him from telling the nation that the government should not allow NATO supplies to resume.
"With the grace of God, we are doing our work in Pakistan openly. It is regrettable that America has no information about me. Such rewards are usually for those who live in caves and mountains," Saeed told The Associated Press in a mosque in Islamabad.
The bounty offers could complicate U.S. efforts to get the supply line reopened. Pakistan's parliament is currently debating a revised framework for ties with the U.S. that Washington hopes will get supplies moving again. But the bounties could be seen by lawmakers and the country's powerful army as a provocation and an attempt to gain favor with India.
The announcement of the rewards also could signal a greater willingness to take a hard line with Pakistan following a year in which the relationship between the two countries severely deteriorated.
Saeed founded Lashkar-e-Taiba in the 1980s allegedly with ISI support to pressure Pakistan's archenemy India. The two countries have fought three major wars since they were carved out of the British empire in 1947, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Saeed, 61, has been accused of orchestrating the 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people, including six American citizens. But he operates openly in Pakistan, giving public speeches and appearing on TV talk shows.
The rewards marked a shift in the long standing U.S. calculation that going after the leadership of an organization used as a proxy by the Pakistani military would cause too much friction with the Pakistani government.
The U.S. could hope the bounty will force Pakistan to curb Saeed's activities, even if it isn't willing to arrest him. But the press conference he called Wednesday in the garrison town of Rawalpindi just outside Islamabad was an early sign it may not have much impact.
He also gave multiple interviews Tuesday in which he denied involvement in the Mumbai attacks and said the U.S. was just trying to prevent him from telling the nation that the government should not allow NATO supplies to resume.
"With the grace of God, we are doing our work in Pakistan openly. It is regrettable that America has no information about me. Such rewards are usually for those who live in caves and mountains," Saeed told The Associated Press in a mosque in Islamabad.
The bounty offers could complicate U.S. efforts to get the supply line reopened. Pakistan's parliament is currently debating a revised framework for ties with the U.S. that Washington hopes will get supplies moving again. But the bounties could be seen by lawmakers and the country's powerful army as a provocation and an attempt to gain favor with India.
The announcement of the rewards also could signal a greater willingness to take a hard line with Pakistan following a year in which the relationship between the two countries severely deteriorated.
Saeed founded Lashkar-e-Taiba in the 1980s allegedly with ISI support to pressure Pakistan's archenemy India. The two countries have fought three major wars since they were carved out of the British empire in 1947, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Source : Afghan Voice Agency (AVA), International Service
avapress.com/vdcefz8x.jh8oxik1bj.html
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