Hafiz Saeed under house arrest, India welcomes move, protests expected in Pakistan: Top 10 facts

Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre has told India Today that if the details that have emerged so far are correct, then it is a "welcome step".

Hours after Mumbai attacks mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was placed under house arrest in Lahore, the Indian government has welcomed the move and has asked Pakistan to confirm the detention.

Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre has told India Today that if the details that have emerged so far are correct, then it is a "welcome step".

"We will have to confirm this bit and if this is true then this is a welcome step from their side. We have been trying for peace with our neighbours even as our forces remain ready on the borders," he said.

Latest developments:
1. Police detained Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) that is believed to have carried out the Mumbai terror attacks, at the Lahore headquarters of the JuD on Monday night.
2. The Pakistani police kept the architect of the 2008 Mumbai attacks under house arrest in Lahore, manning barricades outside his home as supporters vowed protests.
3. In the Mumbai attacks, 10 gunmen killed 166 people, including foreigners, in a rampage that included attacks on two luxury hotels, a Jewish centre and a train station.
4. It was unclear why Pakistan decided to act now. A senior Pakistani defence ministry official said Islamabad had not been contacted by the new administration of US President Donald Trump but had been feeling US pressure on the issue.
5. Other government officials have said recently that a broader diplomatic campaign - pushed by India - to isolate Pakistan has taken a toll, even involving pressure from longtime ally China.
6. Saeed has denied ordering the Mumbai attacks and has distanced himself from LeT, while leading his Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).
7. Supporters accused Islamabad of acquiescing to the wishes of the United States, which has a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's arrest, and India. "This government has buckled under the pressure," JuD spokesman Nadeem Awan said.
8. Another spokesman, Farooq Azam, announced protests in Karachi by "different religious and Kashmir leaders".
9. In recent months, Saeed has been holding regular press conferences about the security crackdown in Jammu and Kashmir.
10. Saeed was put under house arrest after the Mumbai attack, but was released about six months later in June 2009.

(Source : indiatoday.intoday.in)

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