The Lahore High Court on Tuesday asked the Punjab government to respond to a petition challenging the detention of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. Justice Muhammad Akhtar Shabbir sought a report from the Punjab home secretary by August 23 in response to the petition, which was moved by Saeed's wife. Saeed's lawyer Nazir Ghazi said his detention was linked to his plan to stage a rally in Lahore on Independence Day. He said the home secretary issued a detention order on August 9 that was not even signed by the authority concerned. He claimed that Saeed had been detained on the wishes of a "neighbouring country". Jamaatud Dawa is believed to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, which India says was involved in last month's bomb blasts in Mumbai.