Guest Column | All Saeed and Done

Radhavinod Raju

The United States government’s notification under the reward for justice programme for the present al Qaeda chief, Ayman al Zawahiri says: Wanted Ayman al-Zawahiri Up to USD 25 Million Reward. Al Zawahiri is believed to have served as an advisor and doctor to Osama bin Laden. Zawahiri has been indicted for his alleged role in the August 7, 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya.

A similar reward for justice notification in the case of Mullah Omar of the Afghan Taliban would show that he is wanted because the Taliban provided shelter to Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda prior to the 9/11 bombings, and though the Taliban were displaced from power in Afghanistan following operation Enduring Freedom, Mullah Omar is still at large, and represents a continuous threat to America and her allies. The reward offered in this case is USD 10 million.

These two terrorists have never come into the open after going into hiding following the American attacks in the wake of 9/11. They issue statements which are broadcast on terrorist networks giving messages to their followers, and threats to their enemies, chiefly the Americans and Israelis. The US President Barrack Obama is on record that they will not hesitate to repeat the Abbottabad operation if they received information about high value targets. Ayman al Zawahiri and Mullah Omar would certainly qualify as high value targets.

In the case of Hafiz Saeed, the reward for justice notification uses slightly different language. The notification has called for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, with the reward amount being USD 10 million. The notification traces the background of Saeed, and his role in the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

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According to the notification, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed is a former professor of Arabic and Engineering, as well as the founding member of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a radical Ahl-e-Hadith Islamist organisation dedicated to installing Islamist rule over parts of India and Pakistan, and its military branch, Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba. Saeed is suspected of masterminding numerous terrorist attacks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 166 people, including six American citizens.

India has issued an Interpol Red Corner Notice against Saeed for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Additionally, the United States Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated National under Executive Order 13224. Saeed was also individually designated by the United Nations under UNSCR 1267 in December 2008. Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba was designate