Pakistan enlisted $10 million-bounty man Hafiz Saeed for de-radicalization, official says

ISLAMABAD — Hafiz Saeed, the Islamist leader on whose head the United States had placed a $10 million bounty that same week, had been helping Pakistan de-radicalize militants, a top Pakistani counter-terrorism official said in April 2012.

Saeed, the chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), was accused by India and the United States of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks — an allegation he denied. The US State Department's Rewards for Justice program announced the $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction on April 3, 2012, one of the largest bounties ever offered for a Pakistani.

The Pakistani official's disclosure that the same man was being used in the state's own de-radicalization efforts underlined the contradictions that had long marked Pakistan's relationship with militant groups: Saeed lived openly in Lahore, addressed public rallies, and ran a large charity network, even as Washington treated him as a wanted terrorist.

Islamabad's position was that JuD was a charitable organization and that there was no evidence against Saeed that would stand up in a Pakistani court — he had been detained and released several times. Washington's position was that JuD was simply a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba. The bounty, and Pakistan's use of Saeed as a de-radicalization asset, left both positions on display in the same week.

Based on Reuters and Dawn reporting from April 2012. The Mumbai-attack allegations are described as alleged.

ISLAMABAD: Hafiz Saeed, the Islamist leader who had a 6 million pounds American bounty placed on his head this week, has been helping Pakistan de-radicalise militants under efforts to stabilise the strategic US ally, a top Pakistani counter-terrorism official said on Friday.