A mastermind behind numerous attacks which have claimed countless innocent lives, Hafeez Saeed has issued a strong condemnation against the murder of Maulana Sami ul Haq.
Haq was widely regarded as the godfather of Taliban and his role in possible peace talks with the organisation was sought by Afghan officials recently. He was the head of the Haqqani madrasa where numerous Taliban members - including terrorist Mullah Omar - had received training. On Friday, Sami ul Haq - believed to be in his 80s - was found dead with stab wounds at his residence in Rawalpindi.
While Pakistani authorities - including Prime Minister Imran Khan - were quick to condemn the murder, Hafeez Saeed - main man behind the Mumbai attacks - too said that he hoped the people responsible for the killing would be brought to justice. "Maulana Sami ul Haq served Islam and he served Pakistan. His role in the country has been significant and always raised his voice for the right," he said in a video message. "There were always conspiracies being hatched against him because he was always targeted by enemies of Islam and Pakistan. His death raises a lot of questions."
Saeed goes on to say that Muslims across Pakistan, Afghanistan and even India are people of Sami ul Haq. "Whenever he heard of any atrocities being committed against Muslims anywhere, he was always hurt. May God deal with the killers and grant peace to Sami ul Haq."
While there is no denying that Sami ul Haq, a former senator in Pakistan, was a prominent figure in the country, Saeed's condemnation of a dastardly attack has been widely regarded as rather ironic. A designated terrorist, Saeed has been accused of staging attacks that have cost many innocent lives. He even said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be killed and that India would eventually disintegrate. Recently, Pakistan was blasted by the US administration for shielding him and taking his name off its terror list. In recent times, he has also expressed a strong desire to gain political legitimacy and even participated in the elections earlier this year through his representatives.
