The Indian government 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.
Sources confirmed that 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.
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.
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.
Despite his claims of innocence and denial of leadership within LeT, Saeed has faced various legal challenges over the years. He was first arrested in July 2019 and received an 11-year sentence just months before Pakistan's review by the Financial Action Task Force.
In April last year, documents showed that a Pakistani court sentenced Saeed to 31 years in prison in connection with terrorism financing. However, it is unclear whether he is in jail, with some reports claiming that he remains a free man after being released from house arrest in 2017. Saeed has been arrested and released several times over the past decade.
Last year, India declared Hafiz Saeed's son, Talha Saeed, a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Now, Talha Saeed is preparing to contest the upcoming general elections in Pakistan under the banner of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political party floated by his father.
