Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed on Tuesday said his detention by Pakistani authorities would give fresh motivation for the Kashmiri “struggle against India”. Saeed, who has been placed under house arrest for at least 90 days, alleged that the order to place him in custody was issued by the United States and not the Pakistani government, PTI reported. Saeed is the alleged mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 people.

“If someone thinks that placing me under house arrest will help check the freedom movement in Kashmir, he is living in a fool’s paradise,” Saeed said. He added that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was mistaken if he thought that his arrest would lead to peace in Kashmir. “We have declared 2017 a year of solidarity for all Kashmiris,” Saeed said. He also said that he would challenge his house arrest in the Lahore High Court.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani army said that the decision was to detain Saeed was “a policy in the national interest”. Military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said more information on the arrest would released in a day or two. Ghafoor also said that Pakistan wanted to resolve all its disputes with India, including the Kashmir issue. “We want the Kashmir issue to be resolved via United Nations resolutions and dialogue, but this desire for peace should not be misconstrued as a weakness,” he said.

Saeed is currently under detention at Jamia-al-Qadsia in Lahore and will be later shifted to his residence in Johar Town, which will be declared a sub-jail. Along with Saeed, Falah-E-Insaniat Foundation, the charity wing of JuD, will also be monitored. The JuD chief has been detained under Section 11-EEE(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1977. A Defence Ministry official said that Islamabad had been feeling the pressure from the US since President Donald Trump took over as he was “taking hard decisions against Muslim countries”.