Pakistan court’s release of Hafiz Saeed angers India

Hafiz Saeed reacts to supporters as he walks out of court after a Pakistani court ordered his release from house arrest in Lahore, Pakistan. (Reuters)
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Updated 25 July 2020
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Pakistan court’s release of Hafiz Saeed angers India

NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Wednesday refused the government’s request to extend the house arrest of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed for another 60 days.

The decision comes days before the ninth anniversary of the Mumbai attack on Nov. 26, 2008, popularly known as 26/11.

India has expressed outrage about the release of Hafiz Saeed, who is alleged to have planned the Mumbai attack.

Saeed is scheduled to be released from house arrest as the deadline expires on Nov. 24.

“India and indeed all the international community is outraged that a self-confessed and UN-proscribed terrorist is allowed to walk free,” said Raveesh Kumar, the official spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

India sees this as “an attempt by the Pakistani system to mainstream proscribed terrorists,” Kumar said.

“The timing is bad, the decision is illogical and it does not show the seriousness of Pakistan to face the problem of terrorism,” S.K. Lamba, former Indian ambassador to Pakistan, told Arab News. “It is not good for the Indo-Pakistan relationship,” he said.

Hafiz Saeed denied his role in the Mumbai attack in which 10 gunmen attacked India’s financial capital and targeted two luxury hotels, a Jewish center and a train station, killing 166 people and injuring hundreds.

Dr. Prashant Mangeshikar, a prominent Mumbai gynecologist, was in the Taj Mahal Hotel when the attack took place and managed to escape. He told Arab News that “we should not have any relationship with Pakistan till it punishes Saeed.”

Vinay Jadhav, whose uncle was killed while waiting at Chhatrapati Shivaji Station (CST) for a local train, said: “I really feel that Pakistan should respect the sentiments of the people who lost their near and dear ones in the tragedy and punish the culprit.”

Hafiz Saeed’s detainment extension was rejected by a three-member panel after senior officials at Pakistan’s Finance Ministry failed to convince the court that Saeed’s release would affect Pakistan’s diplomatic relations and place the country at financial risk.

The review board in the previous hearing had asked the government to present its arguments that Pakistan might face monetary sanctions if Saeed was set free.

Saeed’s followers hailed the decision and distributed sweets.

No official response was issued by Pakistan. The Foreign Ministry directed any queries to the Interior Ministry, which declined to comment, as did the Punjab Advocate General’s office.

However, Pakistan’s former president and ex-Army chief Gen. Pervez Musharraf has called for Hafiz Saeed’s release in interviews with local media.

“Hafiz Saeed should definitely be freed," he said. They (JuD) are not terrorists, they run a very fine NGO, they contribute to relief activities in post-earthquake and post-flood periods in Pakistan. They run great welfare organizations.”

Musharraf said that Saeed’s charity organization, Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), encouraged religious youth to engage in welfare activities.

“In my opinion, they are against the Taliban (in Pakistan), they did not commit any terrorism in Pakistan or anywhere in the world,” he said.

The US has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief’s arrest and conviction.

JuD spokesman Yahya Mujahid told Arab News that police are still stationed in and around Hafiz Saeed’s house. “The review board has passed its decision and the government has no option but to release him,” he said.

On Jan. 31 Saeed and four of his aides were detained on the orders of an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), initially for 90 days but the detainment period was extended several times by government request. Saeed has been placed under house arrest twice after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

His aides, Professor Zafar Iqbal, Mufti Abdur Rehman Abid, Maulana Ubaidullah Obaid and Qazi Kashif Niaz, were released on Oct. 26.

While Saeed was under detention the JuD in September formed the political party Milli Muslim League (MML). It put up a candidate for the National Assembly constituency seat left vacant in Lahore after the judicial ousting of Nawaz Sharif on July 28.

The MML’s candidate did not win but secured a considerable 5,882 votes.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has rejected the registration of MML, which the Interior Ministry says is working under Saeed’s banned organizations. This didn’t stop the religious political party participating in last month’s by-elections in the northwestern city of Peshawar.


Macron calls for release of Gaza activists as thousands demonstrate in French cities

Updated 9 sec ago
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Macron calls for release of Gaza activists as thousands demonstrate in French cities

  • Tens of thousands of people staged rallies after Israel stopped the boat, the Madleen, that was carrying 12 activists, including Greta Thunberg
  • In Switzerland, several hundred people blocked train stations in Geneva and Lausanne to protest Israel’s military operations in Gaza

NICE: French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to quickly free activists, including Greta Thunberg, on a boat that was seized Monday as it headed for Gaza in an operation that sparked angry protests in several European cities.
Tens of thousands of people staged rallies after Israel stopped the boat, the Madleen, that was carrying 12 activists.
In France, rallies in Paris and at least five other cities were called by left wing parties. Jean-Luc Melenchon, head of the France Unbowed (LFI) party, called the seizure of the Gaza boat by the Israeli military “international piracy.”
In Switzerland, several hundred people blocked train stations in Geneva and Lausanne to protest Israel’s military operations in Gaza, media reports said.
Some 300 protesters carrying Palestinian flags occupied two tracks at Geneva’s main station for about an hour, leading to delays and cancellations, the reports said. A similar protest was staged in nearby Lausanne, where police cleared the tracks.
Macron, meanwhile, urged the immediate liberation of French nationals among the 12 activists on the vessel.
Macron had “requested that the six French nationals be allowed to return to France as soon as possible,” his office said.
France was “vigilant” and “stands by all its nationals when they are in danger,” he added. The French government had also called on Israel to ensure the “protection” of the activists. Macron also called the humanitarian blockade of Gaza “a scandal” and a “disgrace.”
Israel’s foreign ministry said earlier that “all the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed,” and it expected the activists to return to their home countries.
Israel has virtually sealed off Gaza as part of its military operation in the Palestinian territory since the Hamas militant group’s attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.


UAE-based comedian Shawn Chidiac brings Dubai ‘comedy gold’ to London audience

Updated 09 June 2025
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UAE-based comedian Shawn Chidiac brings Dubai ‘comedy gold’ to London audience

  • Standup comic’s ‘Laughing in Translation’ will feature a range of accents, personas from the multicultural Gulf city
  • ‘Comedy has been the most healing part of my life,’ Chidiac says ahead of 1st solo show of his career

LONDON: For those who want to experience the hustle and bustle of Dubai without actually booking a flight, Shawn Chidiac’s stand-up comedy show in London will offer an insight into the multicultural city that provides inspiration for his jokes and stage personas.

The UAE-based comedian will perform “Laughing in Translation” live at the Shaw Theatre in London on June 15. He told Arab News that storytelling and sharing experiences with the audience are at the heart of his stand-up comedy.

Chidiac began sharing his humorous content on Instagram with the handle “Laughing in Arabic,” aiming to introduce Western satire and wit to the Arab region, where it is often unfathomable. He later changed his username to the more personal @myparents_are_divorced, which has grown to more than 645,000 followers.

The comedian’s parents are, indeed, divorced, though some people question this when they meet him. He was born in Canada to a family originally from Lebanon, which he still visits a few times a year, and he appreciates the resilience it instilled in him, which saved him from ending up “in a ditch many times,” he said.

Chidiac grew up mainly in Dubai with his mother, who at times worked two jobs and started her own business to make ends meet. In this “City of Gold” on the Arabian Gulf, home to 3.65 million people representing over 200 nationalities and speaking 150 different languages, Chidiac sharpened his wit, picked up various accents, and drew inspiration from stories from all walks of life.

Comedy has been the most healing part of my life so far and will continue to heal me in many different ways

Shawn Chidiac

The stand-up comedian tells astonishing stories about life in Dubai. His comedy is inspired by his experiences interacting with people, while his goal is to connect with audiences through shared similarities, or to educate them about his family upbringing, culture, and history.

“The inspiration comes from the people I know and see, and the things I do, and my interaction with them. So, the more interaction I have, the better it is, which is hard because I’m a massive introvert,” he told Arab News in a video call from Dubai.

His upbringing was mainly Arab, but also blends various cultures, mainly from Southeast Asia, as well as European and African countries. He discovered his talent for adopting different personas and accents at a young age when his mother heard him speaking with an Indian-English accent and asked him to perform it for her friends.

The closest he lived to Europe was Sharjah, an emirate just 10 minutes from Dubai, he said. In addition to working in a software company in the UAE, Chidiac also worked for two months in Amsterdam. In 2023, he decided to quit his 9-5 job and become a full-time content creator and stand-up comedian.

Last summer, he performed for the first time in London at Cadogan Hall alongside a group of stand-up comedians, and he recently had two performances at Dubai Opera and in Bahrain.

Shawn Chidiac performing during a show at Dubai Opera, May 2, 2025. (Courtesy: S&S)

In mid-June, he will visit London for the second time to perform his first solo show. The audience can expect to see and hear various Dubai characters and their distinct accents, such as an Egyptian salesman in a supermarket, a caring Indian father with his son, a Filipino flight attendant ensuring that seat belts are fastened, and possibly a Persian prince wearing a golden necklace secured by a golden lock.

“I’m connecting as many people as possible through (comedy stories about) my upbringing. Whoever has lived in the Gulf will have a similar story or narrative in their minds… The London audience will be experiencing it live, but in their own way and through their own lenses,” Chidiac said.

He said that UK audiences are spoiled for choice when it comes to stand-up comedy shows, and their “palate” is different from those in Dubai, where most of his audience are first-timers. Nevertheless, he said that it matters to him that they find his show “funny, whether they’re black, white, Asian, or Arab.”

I’m connecting as many people as possible through (comedy stories about) my upbringing. Whoever has lived in the Gulf will have a similar story or narrative in their minds

Shawn Chidiac

Dubai is a popular destination for British expats, with an estimated 240,000 living there and many more visiting the city or using it as a transfer hub. Chidiac is working on his British accents, including one similar to the documentary-maker David Attenborough’s and a thick Cockney version from London’s East End.

In Dubai, he operates “Comedy Kitchen,” a community project that hosts open-mic nights to support other stand-up comedians, and he plans to launch a school to train and teach media skills.

Chidiac said that being a full-time content creator and comedian during the past two years “had its ups and downs.” Still, this has provided him with a solid platform on which to thrive and give back to his family.

“It’s a very scary place to call home, but it has changed my life for the better for sure. I never, never look back with any regrets at all.

“Comedy has been the most healing part of my life so far and will continue to heal me in many different ways,” he said.

Laughing in Translation by Shawn Chidiac at the Shaw Theatre, London; 8pm, Sunday 15 June 2025


NATO chief calls for ‘quantum leap’ in defense and says Russia could attack in 5 years

Updated 09 June 2025
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NATO chief calls for ‘quantum leap’ in defense and says Russia could attack in 5 years

  • Rutte said Russia is outpacing the far bigger NATO in producing ammunition

LONDON: NATO members need to increase their air and missile defenses by 400 percent to counter the threat from Russia, the head of the military alliance said Monday, warning that Moscow could be ready to attack it within five years.

Secretary-General Mark Rutte said during a visit to London that he expects the 32 NATO members to agree to a big hike in military spending at a summit in the Netherlands this month.

Speaking at the Chatham House think tank, Rutte said Russia is outpacing the far bigger NATO in producing ammunition, and the alliance must take a “quantum leap” in collective defense.

“Wishful thinking will not keep us safe,” Rutte said. “We cannot dream away the danger. Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance.”

Rutte has proposed a target of 3.5 percent of economic output on military spending and another 1.5 percent on “defense-related expenditure” such as roads, bridges, airfields and sea ports. He said he is confident the alliance will agree to the target at its summit in The Hague on June 24-25.

At the moment, 22 of the 32 members meet or exceed NATO’s current 2 percent target, which was set in 2014. Rutte said he expects all to reach 2 percent by the end of this year.

The new target would meet a demand by US President Donald Trump that member states spend 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense. Trump has long questioned the value of NATO and complained that the US provides security to European countries that don’t contribute enough.

Rutte said he agreed that “America has carried too much of the burden for too long.”

Rutte said NATO needs thousands more armored vehicles and millions more artillery shells, as well as a 400 percent increase in air and missile defense.

“We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,” he said.

“Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years,” Rutte added. “We are all on the eastern flank now.”

Rutte also held talks Monday with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and praised the UK’s commitment to increase defense spending as “very good stuff.” Starmer has pledged to boost military spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product by 2027 and to 3 percent by 2034.

Like other NATO members, the UK has been reassessing its defense spending since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

European NATO members, led by the UK and France, have scrambled to coordinate their defense posture as Trump transforms American foreign policy, seemingly sidelining Europe as he looks to end the war in Ukraine.

Last week the UK government said it would build new nuclear-powered attack submarines, prepare its army to fight a war in Europe and become “a battle-ready, armor-clad nation.” The plans represent the most sweeping changes to British defenses since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than three decades ago.


UK think tank calls for national strategy to tackle anti-Muslim hatred, rebuild social cohesion

Updated 09 June 2025
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UK think tank calls for national strategy to tackle anti-Muslim hatred, rebuild social cohesion

  • Polling by Savanta/ComRes showed majority of Britons hold either neutral or positive views toward Muslims
  • Equi argued that this provided a foundation for progress for building societal trust

LONDON: A new report from the think tank Equi released Monday has urged the UK government to adopt a coordinated national strategy to address anti-Muslim hatred, while warning that social division is harming trust in institutions and threatening the country’s cohesion.

Released as British Muslims marked Eid Al-Adha, the report highlighted growing levels of anti-Muslim narratives and attacks, but also pointed to polling by Savanta/ComRes that showed that the majority of Britons hold either neutral or positive views toward Muslims.

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Equi argued that this provided a foundation for progress, and said that building trust, inclusion and civic resilience must be treated as a national priority.

“Britain’s diverse and welcoming cultural identity is one of its greatest strengths. But we cannot leave social cohesion to chance,” said Prof. Javed Khan, managing director of Equi.

“Failing to address social division is not only unjust but fiscally draining, at a time when resources are scarce,” he added.

The report identified anti-Muslim hatred as a key barrier to intercommunity trust, particularly in the aftermath of flashpoints such as the 2024 summer riots.

It estimated the cost of anti-Muslim hatred last year at a minimum of £243 million ($328.9 million), including expenses linked to policing, imprisonment, and insurance claims.

The report also pointed to alienating government policies, such as Prevent, and rising misinformation as major factors eroding social trust.

Many British Muslims, it noted, feel disproportionately scrutinized and disconnected from wider society.

Among its recommendations, Equi called for a strategic program of public awareness campaigns to counter misinformation and stereotypes, combined with cross-government engagement with local authorities, faith groups and civil society organizations to help rebuild trust.

It also advocated for increased investment in youth and community initiatives that promoted shared experiences and inclusive participation as a means of strengthening intercommunity ties.

“Knowing most Britons are not getting sucked into divisive language that can destroy community relations should give us great hope. The government should use its unique platform to articulate a unifying vision for the nation; one that focuses not on responding to division, but on championing shared values like respect, equality and liberty,” Khan said.

“As Britain’s 4 million Muslims celebrated Eid, this report provides a timely and urgent reminder that with clear focus and leadership, a stronger, peaceful and cohesive UK is within reach.”


How Gulf ties became key focus of India’s foreign policy over past decade

Updated 09 June 2025
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How Gulf ties became key focus of India’s foreign policy over past decade

  • Modi is the only Indian PM to have officially visited all GCC states
  • By 2018, the GCC became India’s largest regional trading bloc

Ties with Gulf countries have become a key focus of India’s foreign policy over the past 10 years, the latest report by the Council for Strategic and Defense Research shows, highlighting New Delhi’s special focus on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Headquartered in the Indian capital, the CSDR is a think tank specializing in research on geopolitics, foreign policy, and military strategy. Its report published last month, “From Trees to Forests: The Evolution of India-Middle East Ties post 2014,” highlights India’s investment in bilateral relations with Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which are independent of larger global frameworks.

The effort to strengthen the connection started before Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, but it has gained momentum with his frequent visits to the six-member bloc comprising Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

“In the last 10 years, India has substantiated this effort by filling crucial gaps in political, economic, and military contact with key states, with a special focus on Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” Bashir Ali Abbas, senior research associate at CSDR and the report’s author, told Arab News.

“In the last 10 years, the Middle East has also emerged as a strategic space for India, with new defense relationships, and economic visions which also fit with the Gulf’s own focus on economic diversification.”

While India’s relations with the Gulf region span centuries, it currently has the largest concentration of the Indian diaspora — about 9.7 million people.

“And India’s top oil suppliers at any point in time inevitably are at least three Gulf states. This alone necessitates that India pay close attention to the region,” Abbas said.

“In India, policy makers and official decision-making institutions have updated their understanding of the region, but more importantly its changing nature. This evolved understanding has enabled the rise of new strategic partnerships, and PM Narendra Modi is the only Indian PM to have officially visited all six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council.”

By 2018, the GCC became India’s largest regional trading bloc, with an annual trade value of $104 billion in FY2017-2018. The volume that year surpassed India-ASEAN trade of $81 billion, and India-EU trade — $102 billion.

Currently, it is even higher, with the Indian government estimating it at $162 billion in FY2023-24.

In 2019, India became only the fourth state to establish a Strategic Partnership Council with Saudi Arabia, following Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to New Delhi.

During the Kingdom’s presidency of the Group of 20 largest economies in 2020, the two countries started to forge partnerships and bilateral programs that saw further development as India took the G20 presidency in 2023.

Over the past four years, the countries have since also engaged in a series of bilateral navy, air force and army exercises.

“Today, India sees Saudi Arabia as a strategic partner, with political and economic ties robust enough to also substantial cooperation in defense and security,” Abbas said.

“Given both India’s own Viksit Bharat 2047 development vision and (the crown prince’s) Vision 2030, India and Saudi Arabia are now driven by shared economic and strategic goals.”

With the UAE, India signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in 2022, following which their bilateral trade grew to $85 billion in just over a year. The number of multi-sectoral memoranda of understanding between Indian and Emirati public and private entities has since reached over 80, according to the CSDR report.

“India also sought to reframe other bilateral relationships where fresh opportunities had arisen,” it said, adding that New Delhi was “closing the Gulf circle,” with strategic partnerships signed with Kuwait during Modi’s visit in 2024, and with Qatar during Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s state trip to New Delhi in early 2025.

The relations “will certainly see a positive trajectory in the near and distant future — especially if it is backed up by greater avenues of intellectual contact,” Abbas said.

“Greater intellectual contact and an evolved popular understanding will enhance the strategic relationships between India and its Arab partners, through the injection of more ideas, perspectives, and actors who can work as champions for closer ties.”