As US suspends aid to Pakistan, Hafiz Saeed says blame lies on India

NEW DELHI:  Amid global backlash and America's decision to snap its $255 million military aid to Pakistan for now, Jamaat-ud Dawa chief and 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed launched an attack on New Delhi on Tuesday.

Saeed claimed that India is behind US President Donald Trump's move to cut the military aid to Pakistan.

This comes after White House declared that it does not plan to send $255 million aid to Pakistan at this time. The statement came after US President Trump tweeted that the country has "foolishly" handed Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years while getting nothing in return, pledging to put a stop to it.

"They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump wrote on Twitter. 

"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools."

The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018

Following the development, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Kahqan Abbasi convened a high-level security meet, which was attended by top officials of Army and ISI.

Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) recently issued a notification prohibiting the collection of donations by Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD), the front organisation of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, as well as several other such organisations named in a list of banned outfits by the UN Security Council.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan hereby prohibits all companies from donating cash to the entities and individuals listed under the UNSC sanctions committee`s consolidated list," read a notification issued by the commission.

The UNSC sanctions list includes the names of Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, JuD, FiF, LeT and other organisations and individuals.

The New York Times reported on December 29 that US officials had sought but been denied access to a member of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network captured in Pakistan who potentially could provide information about at least one American hostage.