In a major development, the Indian government has officially requested Pakistan to extradite the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and mastermind of the 26/11 terror attack, Hafiz Saeed. According to diplomatic sources, the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received the official request from the Indian government, urging the initiation of the legal process for the extradition of Hafiz Saeed.
"India (as part of the procedure that it does on a regular basis) has formally requested Pakistan to extradite Hafiz Saeed to face charges in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case. India has urged the initiation of the legal process for the extradition of Hafiz Saeed," diplomatic sources told India TV.
The same has been confirmed in a Pakistan-based news outlet, the Islamabad Post.
Notably, Saeed, who is also a United Nations-designated terrorist, has been in jail since 2019 after being convicted for several years in multiple terror finance cases along with some other leaders of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). Saeed-led JuD is the front organisation for the LeT, which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.
Why Hafiz Saeed is not extradited till today
It is worth mentioning that India and Pakistan do not have an extradition treaty. However, New Delhi has previously shared detailed dossiers with Islamabad but as of now the neighbouring nation neither co-operated nor extradited the designated terrorists.
Besides, it is crucial to note that the "extradition treaty" should not be confused with the Shimla Agreement. It was signed following the India-Pakistan war in 1971. It was a formal agreement to end the hostilities between the countries. Moreover, both countries also agreed on a comprehensive plan for peaceful relations. Summing up the accord- it is a set of guiding principles that both countries agreed to follow while managing relations with each other. Both countries agreed to respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and would not interfere in the internal affairs of the other country.
Hafiz's role in upcoming Pakistan elections
Recently, it was reported that the party backed by Hafiz is contesting in the upcoming general elections in Pakistan. According to a report by a Pakistani English daily, Dawn, the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a party considered to be backed by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, has fielded candidates for each and every national and provincial assembly constituency.
Besides, the Pakistan media report also claimed that Hafiz's son Talha Saeed is also in the run. The media report claimed that Talha is contesting from the National Assembly’s constituency NA-127, Lahore.
