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

ISLAMABAD \u2014 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 \u2014 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 \u2014 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.

[caption id="attachment_6078" align="aligncenter" width="660" caption="Picture shows Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, who is suspected of masterminding an attack on India