Daijiworld Media Network - Jammu

Jammu, Jul 14: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has issued a non-bailable warrant against Hafiz Saeed, chief of the Pakistan-based banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in connection with the agency's investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack case.

The order was passed by the Special NIA Court on Jul 8, two days after the agency filed a supplementary chargesheet against the 76-year-old terror accused.

Saeed, designated as a global terrorist by India and the United States, is also considered the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

The supplementary chargesheet, filed before the special NIA court in Jammu, names Saeed both in his personal capacity and as the head of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba and its proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF).

He has been charged under multiple 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 an accused in the Pahalgam terror attack case.

The agency sought an open-dated non-bailable warrant to facilitate further legal proceedings and enable action against him during the course of the investigation.

"Arrest and custodial interrogation of the accused (Saeed) are necessary for a fair, complete and effective investigation. As such, a non-bailable warrant of arrest is issued against him and forwarded to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), NIA Jammu, for execution in accordance with law," the court order stated.

On Apr 22, terrorists opened fire on civilians at Pahalgam in south Kashmir, killing 26 people, most of them tourists. The NIA is continuing its investigation into the attack.