Two cases registered against Hafiz Saeed

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Pakistan has registered two cases against Hafiz Saeed, the man India says was the mastermind behind the Mumbai terror attacks last year, authorities said.

The cases, which Indian media said came under U.S. pressure, accused the head of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa charity of delivering a speech against the government and arranging an unlawful congregation, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported.

The report, quoting sources, said Saeed, who was freed by a Pakistani court in June, held a meeting Wednesday of activists of his group in Faisalabad and talked about the importance of Jihad.

The Press Trust of India reported Pakistani police also registered a case against Saeed's close aide Abu under the anti-terrorism Act.

Saeed is also the founder of the Lashker-e-Toiba militant group. A Pakistani police source was quoted as telling PTI Saeed's detention or arrest cannot be ruled out.

Immediately following the Mumbai attacks in November, Saeed was placed under house arrest in Pakistan after the U.N. Security Council declared his group a terrorist organization. He was freed in June by the Lahore high court.

Ever since, India has been pressing Pakistan to take action against Saeed. Of late, India reportedly had been seeking U.S. help and the new cases registered against Saeed are seen as an outcome of that effort.

The PTI quoted Timothy Roemer, the U.S. ambassador to India, as saying, "Going after Hafiz Saeed and dismantling terror infrastructure in that region is extremely important" for both the United States and India.