In July, Pakistan said it would not arrest Saeed till adequate proof was provided of his involvement in the Mumbai carnage.

But, at a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Sharm-el-Sheikh Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told him that 'common consensus' was being evolved and that 'action will have to be taken against him (Saeed)'.

Two days before that, on July 14, Pakistan's Punjab provincial government had disassociated itself from the case against Saeed, saying the federal government had not furnished 'solid evidence' to warrant his continued house arrest.

Earlier this month, the new US envoy to India, Timothy J. Roemer, said that Pakistan should follow up the trial of suspects of the Mumbai terror attacks.

'People held in Pakistan in connection with the Mumbai attacks should be brought to justice,' he told reporters Aug 12.

Roemer's remarks came in the wake of the Pakistan Supreme Court's decision to postpone indefinitely the petitions challenging Saeed's release, which virtually left him free. The court cited the lack of evidence against Saeed while announcing its decision.