Click to play videoNew Delhi: National Security Advisor MK Narayanan had commented on the house arrest of Hafiz Sayyed to CNN-IBN a few months ago saying Islamabad is treating such people as honoured guests. Now, even that semblance of acting on the UN resolution against the Lashkar-e-Toiba and its founder is gone.
Five months of a rather benevolent house arrest has been lifted on the orders of the Lahore High Court and Lashkar-e-Toiba founder and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Sayyed made the most of it.
"It is our first success and it has been proved that the Jamaat-ud-Dawa is not terror organisation. The Pakistani government succumbed to international pressure. The Jamaat-ud-Dawa was targeted for speaking against Indian atrocity. They couldn't link us with the al-Qaeda," said Sayyed after being freed.
The court reportedly found the prosecution case for continuing Sayyed's detention lacking credibility.
"The court's decision helps our cause. It is a certificate and it vindicates the Jamaat-ud-Dawa. It's a strong message to our opponents and those in the United Nations who accused us of being a terrorist organisation. Jamaat has no such record. The Pakistani government could not find any evidence against us to produce in court. Those trying to malign us cannot stop us from continuing our relief work and charitable activities," said a Jamaat-ud-Dawa Spokesperson.
India's response meanwhile was terse and angry. Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said that Pakistan lacks the commitment to control terror.
India is also suspicious of high level official complicity in Sayyed's release. India also feels that this could be a signal of some kind to Lashkar and proof of this is seen in Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani demanding that India resume the dialogue on Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said, "Kashmir is part of the composite dialogue. It's in Pakistan's hands to create conditions for the dialogue to be resumed."
These are challenging times for Indian diplomats. First their attempt to put Masood Azhar on the UNSC terror list was blocked by the UK, among other countries and now a Pakistani court has released Hafiz Sayyed.
In both cases, the Indian Government has been blamed for not providing adequate evidence against these men. It's a charge that India rejects but it's coming round to the view that it's up against not just Pakistan but also other countries which want to play both sides.
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