Kashmir Impulse Desk

Jammu, July 14

A special court of India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has issued a non-bailable warrant against Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in connection with its investigation into the Pahalgam attack.

The order was issued on July 8, two days after the NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet naming Saeed as an accused in the case.

Saeed, 76, has been charged in his personal capacity and as the head of LeT and its proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF), under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

According to the court order, the NIA told the court that Saeed, who is based in Pakistan’s Punjab province, had been “deliberately evading arrest” and sought an open-dated non-bailable warrant to facilitate further legal proceedings.

The court said Saeed’s “arrest and custodial interrogation are necessary” for a “fair, complete and effective investigation” and directed that the warrant be forwarded to the NIA’s Deputy Inspector General in Jammu for execution in accordance with the law.

Saeed, designated a global terrorist by India and the United States, is also accused by India of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks.