Jammu, Jul 14: A special NIA court in Jammu has issued an open-dated non-bailable warrant against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed in connection with the investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed on April 22 last year.
The warrant was issued by the Special Judge of the NIA Court on July 8, two days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a supplementary chargesheet naming the 76-year-old Saeed as an accused in the case.
The supplementary chargesheet charges Saeed both in his personal capacity and as the chief of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba and its proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF). He has been booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
According to the court order, the NIA informed the court that Saeed, a resident of Sargodha in Pakistan’s Punjab province, has been deliberately evading arrest despite being a key accused in the Pahalgam terror attack case. The agency sought the issuance of a non-bailable warrant to facilitate further legal proceedings and advance the ongoing investigation.
Allowing the plea, the court observed that Saeed’s arrest and custodial interrogation were essential for a fair, complete and effective investigation. It directed that the warrant be forwarded to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), NIA Jammu, for execution in accordance with law.
Saeed, designated a global terrorist by India and the United States, is also widely regarded as the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. (Agencies)
