Pak won't arrest Saeed on basis on new dossier: Report

Pakistani authorities have decided not to arrest Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed on the basis of new dossiers from India claiming that they do not contain "actionable intelligence", according to a media report.

After a "careful study" of the three dossiers provided by India during the Foreign Secretary-level talks on February 25, Pakistani authorities have decided to send a response in a "couple of days", sources were quoted as saying by The News.
However, Pakistan will not hand over Saeed to India, the sources said.

Saeed would also not be arrested and "no case would be instituted against him since the dossiers have no actionable intelligence to implicate (him) in any charge of terror or other offence," sources claimed.

The sources also described Saeed as a man who "is widely respected in the countries of the region".

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had on February 25 handed over three dossiers to her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir containing names of 34 terrorists wanted by India, including Saeed, and demanded handing them over and other action.

Saeed recently backed calls for jehad against India because of what he alleged the oppression of Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir.

Home Minister P Chidambaram had on Tuesday expressed regret that Pakistan government is allowing Saeed to make "provocative and insidious" speeches and pressed for probing his role behind the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.

It is believed that one of the three dossiers provided by India contains fresh evidence against Saeed.

The News also reported that the Pakistan government has "no plan to extend an invitation to the Indian Foreign Secretary to visit Pakistan soon because Islamabad believes that the talks must be structured and preferably under the framework of the composite dialogue".

Pakistan also plans to hand over more than three dossiers covering its grievances, the report said.

The dossiers will include evidence of India's alleged involvement in "terror activities" on Pakistani soil.

The government was of the view that the meeting between the Foreign Secretaries was not "productive" as there was no tangible outcome but it was also not an "utter failure" as both sides agreed to maintain contacts, the sources said.