The News Freedom
New Delhi, December 28
The Indian government has made a formal request to Pakistan for the extradition of terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the key figure behind Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the orchestrator of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Reports from the media indicate that India’s Ministry of External Affairs has sent an official request to Pakistan to commence the legal procedures for Saeed’s extradition.
Hafiz Saeed, a wanted terrorist in India, carries a $10 million bounty placed by the US for his alleged role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. His legal status has been tumultuous, having been arrested in July 2019 and sentenced to 11 years just prior to Pakistan’s review by the Financial Action Task Force.
Although a Pakistani court sentenced him to 31 years in prison for terrorism financing in April of the previous year, conflicting reports arise regarding his current incarceration status.
India took further action against Saeed’s family, designating his son, Talha Saeed, as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Talha Saeed is now gearing up to contest the upcoming general elections in Pakistan, representing the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political entity established by his father.
Home Ministry officials have implicated Hafiz Saeed in various attacks, including incidents at the Red Fort in 2000, a CRPF camp in Rampur (Uttar Pradesh), the notorious 2008 Mumbai terror strikes, and an assault on a BSF convoy in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, in 2015.
Hafiz Saeed, known as the founder of Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), was internationally recognized as a global terrorist under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 on December 10, 2008. In April 2022, he received a 31-year prison sentence and a fine in two separate cases from an anti-terrorism court, owing to his involvement in orchestrating and funding terrorist activities. His masterminding of the 2008 Mumbai attacks resulted in the loss of 166 lives and left hundreds injured. He also holds the designation of a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department of the Treasury.