Hafiz Saeed Leads Eid Prayers in Pak Despite Ban on His Outfit

Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, led Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore amid high security.

Hafiz Saeed, co-founder of the LeT and head of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

(Photo: AP)

Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, on Saturday, 16 June, led Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore amid high security even though the Pakistan government has outlawed his organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

Police personnel and Saeed's own security men were deployed in and outside the stadium to secure the area.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief also delivered a sermon on the occasion and asked Pakistani citizens to extend their full support to the people of Kashmir.

Saeed has been allowed to hold public rallies and lead gatherings in Pakistan even though his organisation is banned in the country. His JuD was declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014. He carries a USD 10-million American bounty on his head for his role in terror activities.

Pakistan last year promulgated an ordinance to amend the country's Anti-Terrorism Act to list JuD and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) as terror organisations.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people.