Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is once again cleared by the courts, the court didn’t find any proof of the crimes attributed to him. The man who was branded as a terrorist by India has proven innocent yet again, in the court of law.
India is an enemy state, they have their own hegemonic designs about the region. They have regional strategies to work on, so it was understandably natural for them to launch diplomatic attacks on Pakistan.
But the so-called intelligentsia of my country also have problems with Hafiz Saeed, they do not agree to his methods, they do not like his work, they do not like his organization helping people in the floods, earthquakes and other calamities. They hate FIF labeled jackets working for the people in the most remote areas of Pakistan.
The American government has put a bounty of 10 million dollars on Hafiz Saeed in 2012. Ironically, no one has been able to bring forward any proofs of Saeed’s involvement with any terrorist activity.
HS carries a good reputation in Pakistan, that of a philanthropist, people know him by his charity work in the country, they recognize his organization by their relief work in 2005 earthquake, his volunteers reached those disaster-stricken places where other organizations couldn’t reach.
In the military campaign of Swat, led by Pakistan army against Taliban, his organization stood with the state of Pakistan and the masses of the valley, they also had set relief camps in the valley for the war-stricken people. At each of these camps, arriving refugees were offered first aid, water, and other basic necessities. According to media reports, on average, 600 people were fed each day.
FIF Relief operation included a network of ambulances, emergency camps near the war zones, and large supplies of food and water.
His organization, FIF, carries a network of health and education facilities across Pakistan, including five hospitals, 200 dispensaries, ambulance services and 250 schools. Al Aziz hospital is one of the largest workings under FIF,
laser eye surgery is free there while two dentists are on duty,
with a quota of checking 40 patients each. Relief work of this organization is not just limited to Pakistan, they have also performed relief operations globally, for instance in Indonesia and Srilanka at the time of the tsunami, and in other conflict zones such as Syria, Gaza, and Myanmar.
This is not the first time he is being cleared by the courts, the courts never found any evidence against and acquitted him again and again.
In the year 2009, the Lahore High Court declared all cases against Hafiz Saeed bogus and baseless, the court also asserted that Jamaat ud Dawah is not a banned outfit and is allowed to work freely in Pakistan.
This acquittal was supported by a bold statement by a well-reputed judge, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who was a member the two judges bench hearing the case,”In the name of terrorism we cannot brutalize the law”.
Hafiz Saeed has always been condemning the extremist acts of organizations like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Jamat-ul-Ahrar, and AQIS. He has always defied the role of ISIS in Middle-East and other regions, and never indulged his self or his organization in the regional sectarian conflicts.
Hafiz Saeed cannot be called an extremist as his views do not interpret so, infact he filed a petition in the Lahore High Court against the political elite of Pakistan. He was of the opinion that ruling elite is living their lives as Kings and their lifestyle often cause disruption for a commoner. He gave the example of the British Prime Minister, he compared his lifestyle with the Muslim caliphs and stated that the life of a white Christian is an example for our politicians.
Hafiz Saeed has helped the state to take action against the extremist’s elements in Pakistan at the time when most religious clerics were confused about Pakistani Taliban and other terrorist outfits. He has always been outspoken when it comes to Fitna of Takfeer and Khawarij. He always stood by the state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The State also needs to stand beside him.
