'Pakistan prosecuted Hafiz Saeed to prevent economic, military sanctions'

European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), an Amsterdam based think tank, strongly believes that Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed was sentenced for eleven years by Pakistan to prevent itself from unsustainable consequences.

It said the prosecution which came just before a significant meeting of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to be held in Paris from 16th to 21st of this month, was to avoid economic and military sanctions.

Describing the latest developments in Pakistan as strange and counterintuitive, EFSAS said: "Pakistan has taken such action after it realized that it could not afford the blacklisting from FATF which was looming in the wake of the escape of dreadful terrorist, Ehsanullah Ehsan from its prison".

EFSAS report says the International community is persistent in creating pressure on Pakistan but it ignored them all the time owing to the nature of threats that were limited to mere words.

It commended FATF for changing the narrative in which punitive leverages were unavailable with the international community.

EFSAS also believes that FATF must ensure that foot doesn't come off the pedal and those guilty of terrorism must be brought to justice.

Earlier, the Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court had found the Saeed guilty in two separate terrorism-related cases and had awarded him a sentence of five and half years in each of it.

EFSAS defines this whole exercise as a sell-out by Pakistan to save its own face.

Hafiz Saeed has, over the years, been a highly valued asset of the ISI, which despite coming under concerted international pressure after the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks to act against Saeed and his LeT cohorts, has withstood or circumvented this demand of the international community.

He was living under ISI patronage until now but the agency had to disown him keeping in view a looming disaster for the country.

Earlier, Ehsanullah Ehsan, a terrorist of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and an accused in several gruesome terror attacks in Pakistan including the attack of Peshawar Army Public school absconded Pakistani jails which had further pushed back the case of Islamabad.