Saeed s running for office in Pakistan polls concerns US

Washington Dec 20 (IANS) The US State Department has expressed concern over Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and alleged mastermind of 2008 Mumbai terror attack Hafiz Saeed running for office in Pakistan s general elections next year.

US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert in a press briefing on Tuesday said that the US "would certainly have concerns about him running for office" while referring to the rise of the Milli Muslim League (MML) a political party backed by Saeed which is a front for the JuD.

Nauert blamed the Lashkar-e-Taiba founder for the Mumbai attack that led to the death of 166 Indians and foreigners.

Saeed who was set free in November from a 300-day-long house arrest due to lack of evidence also carries a $10 million US bounty for his role in terrorist activities.

While emphasising on Washington s concerns regarding Saeed Nauert said: "I want to remind folks we have a $10 million reward for Justice programme... for information that would bring him (Saeed) to justice. So I want to make that clear so that everybody knows $10 million out for this guy."

While answering a question regarding Pakistan s decision to set Saeed free Nauert said "I would imagine that if we had any intelligence (that would help Pakistan take action against Saeed) and that s not an area that I can discuss anyway -- but we would certainly share it with the Pakistanis on that front. I hope they ll do the right thing."

The US and the UN classify Saeed s JuD as a terrorist group and it is alleged to be a front organization for LeT.

Saeed was individually designated by the UN under the Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008.

--IANS
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