Observers are of the view that there is a strong possibility of the three–judge Bench of the Lahore High Court declaring illegal the detention of Hafiz Saeed, leader of the Jamat-ud-Dawa.
In a far corner of the bustling Lahore High Court, a stately red-brick colonial-era building, a three-judge Bench is hearing a case whose outcome could be one determinant of whether, and how soon, the re-elected Congress-led government in New Delhi is willing to restart the peace process with Pakistan, frozen since the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
The unpretentious court-room is packed with lawyers and an audience of burly men, all of them bearded and wearing the shin-length salwar favoured by devout Muslim men. They are followers of Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the Jamat-ud-Dawa.
Mr. Saeed is under house arrest since December 2008, following a U.N. Security Council resolution tagging him and his group as terrorist. The resolution held the JuD to be a front of the similarly designated Lashkar-e-Taiba, which Pakistan banned under U.S. pressure in 2002. The U.N. resolution came after the Mumbai attacks, for which the LeT has been accused.
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