New Delhi : India has conveyed a request with relevant supporting documents to the government of Pakistan” to extradite 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi confirmed on Friday. Addressing the press briefing, Bagchi said Saeed is wanted in numerous cases in India and is also a UN-proscribed terrorist.
“We have conveyed a request along with relevant supporting documents to the Government of Pakistan to extradite him to India to face trial in a particular case,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson said.
India has been flagging the issue of activities that Saeed is wanted for, Bagchi said, adding “This is a recent request…” Pakistan's local media channel on Wednesday reported that India has officially requested Pakistan to extradite Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, sources said.
According to sources the Ministry of External Affairs has sent a formal request to the Pakistani government, urging them to initiate the legal process for Saeed's extradition. He has been convicted and sentenced in at least five cases of terror financing since 2020. It is pertinent to note that Saeed has been listed as one of India's most wanted terrorists and carries a $10 million bounty placed by the US for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. While India officially supported the American move, there were protests against it in Pakistan.
India has repeatedly demanded Saeed's extradition to face trial for the Mumbai attacks, but the absence of an extradition treaty between India and Pakistan complicates the process. Saeed was listed under the ‘United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee on Al-Qaida and ISIL’ in December 2008, following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. He has also been designated as an international terrorist by the United States and the EU.
The NEA Spokesperson's statement comes a day after reports emerged that India officially requested Pakistan for the much-awaited extradition of Hafiz Saeed, who is widely known as the founder of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
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