Pak serious about Saeed but need evidence: Gilani

Lahore: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday acknowledged that the case of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was an "issue" between Pakistan and India but said Islamabad needs "substantial" evidence against him to try him in a court of law.

"We are serious on the issue of Saeed but the question is how to proceed against him without evidence. Courts are independent and we need substantial evidence against him," Gilani said while interacting with a group of reporters at his residence Lahore on Sunday evening.

Gilani further said it had been agreed that the Interior and Home Secretaries of the two countries will discuss the issue when they meet on April 16.

He said that former premier Nawaz Sharif too had asked him about the government's stance on the issue of Saeed. Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar e-Taiba, has been in focus after the US offered a USD 10 million bounty for him

last week.

Gilani has said in Parliament that the case of Saeed is an "internal issue" of Pakistan and any evidence against him should be provided to Islamabad so that it could be examined by the courts.

Responding to a question about groups like JuD fanning extremism in Pakistan, Gilani said: "I have ordered action against all proscribed organisations".

He said there should be peace between India and Pakistan and it was in the interest of both countries as well as the region.

"(Indian Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh and I are committed to bringing stability to the region. We will take every possible step towards peace and stability," he said hours after President Asif Ali Zardari met Singh in New Delhi.

Asked about trade with India, Gilani said: "Trade relations are beneficials for each other. Even China had asked us to have trade with India as it is good for both countries". He said the Pakistan People's Party-led government had the mandate of the opposition and the people to forge good relations with India.

"The army should be with us on this matter," he added. He said President Zardari daylong private tour of India would help improve relations between the two countries.

Responding to another question, he said: "All issues, including Kashmir, can be resolved through dialogue".