Pak won't appeal Hafiz's release, tells India to back off

New Delhi: Pakistan will not appeal the release of Mumbai terror attacks accused Hafiz Mohammad Saeed who was freed from house arrest by a Lahore court on Tuesday.

CNN-IBN has learnt that Pakistan government is unlikely to present new evidence after the court let Hafiz go for the lack of proof.

US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbroke, has said that Saeed's release is disturbing.

Don’t comment on court decision: Pak tells India

Meanwhile, Pakistan also said India's views on Haifz’s release are "misplaced" as it is "best not to comment on a court decision".

Reacting to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said "the views expressed therein are misplaced. It is best not to comment on a court decision.

The Pakistani government was "well aware" of its obligations under national and international laws, he said in a statement.

Noting that Pakistan had demonstrated "full sincerity and commitment" in its enquiry into the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks, the statement said the Indian authorities had undertaken to provide an English translation of the material that had been handed over to Pakistan on May 20.

"Polemics and unfounded insinuations cannot advance the cause of justice in civilized societies. Legal processes cannot and must not be interfered with," the statement added.

Citing lack of evidence, a full bench of the Lahore High Court Tuesday overturned a Dec 11, 2008 order placing Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group that India blames for the Mumbai mayhem, under house arrest.

The release of Saeed elicited strong reactions from India, which saw it as yet another evidence of Pakistan's lack of sincerity in bringing to justice the architects and perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners.

"We are unhappy that Pakistan has not shown the degree of seriousness it should to bring to justice the perpetrators of the crime," Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said in New Delhi Tuesday.