New Delhi : Describing Hafiz Saeed as an “evil mastermind” of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, India Monday said a criminal like him should be brought to book.
Reacting to Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s comment that Saeed was a Pakistani national and free to roam around, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said: “Our views on Saeed are very clear. He is the evil mastermind of the Mumbai attacks.”
Akbaruddin said Saeed was one of the accused in an Indian court for killings on the Mumbai streets.
“We have repeatedly asked Pakistan that he should be apprehended and taken through the normal judicial process. Alas, he has never been arrested on account of 26/11 ever. Therefore what you say is obvious, that he is only free because he is a Pakistani citizen,” Akbaruddin said.
To reported claim by authorities in Pakistan about India not providing enough information against Saeed, Akbaruddin said 99 percent of the evidence was in Pakistan as the “entire conspiracy was hatched” there.
“The planning of this dastardly act was done in Pakistan, the financing for this act was undertaken in Pakistan and the people who were involved were from Pakistan.
“Therefore, it has always been our view that it devolved on Pakistan to ensure criminals like Hafiz Saeed are brought to book and justice is delivered in the instance of the crime in Mumbai,” he said.
A group of Pakistani terrorists Nov 26, 2008 opened fire and dropped grenades in different parts of Mumbai, leaving over 160 people dead.