Hafiz Saeed's house arrest extended for 90 days

Lahore: Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed will remain under house arrest here for 90 days more after the expiry of his three-month detention period on Sunday night.

Pakistan’s Punjab government on Sunday decided to extend the duration of the house arrest of Saeed and his four aides under the country’s anti-terrorism act and the notification for it would be issued soon, an official of the Punjab government’s home department said.

“The government has decided in principle to extend the house arrest of Hafiz Saeed, Professor Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdur Rehman Abid, Qazi Kashif Hussain and Abdullah Ubaid for another 90 days” under preventive detention, he said.

The official said a consultative meeting on Saeed’s detention had been held under interior minister Chaudhry Nisar in which a decision to extend the house arrest was taken.

The government on January 30 had put Saeed and the four leaders under house arrest in Lahore for their alleged involvement in activities prejudicial to peace and security. The house arrest was made for a period of 90 days ending on Sunday night.

According to reports, the Nawaz Sharif government detained Saeed under pressure from the Trump administration.