Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 23: Congress MP Manish Tewari on Sunday said expecting Pakistan to send Pahalgam terror attack mastermind and Pakistan-based terrorist Hafiz Saeed to India for trial is an “imaginary proposition”.

Tewari said Pakistan had failed to take meaningful action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks even after admitting that its nationals were involved.

His remarks came amid reports that India is set to summon Hafiz Saeed through diplomatic channels. Last month, a Jammu court issued a non-bailable warrant against the UN-designated terrorist on an application filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), stating that his arrest and custodial interrogation were necessary.

Speaking to reporters, Tewari said people were identified on the basis of their religion and killed in front of their families in the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack.

“In the Pahalgam terror attack, people were identified on the basis of religion and killed in front of their families. In response, India had attacked terrorist bases in Pakistan, and its main objective was to destroy the network of terrorism and terrorist organisations there,” he said.

Tewari said the only way to deal with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism was through a strong response, while legal proceedings would take their own course.

“After Pakistan admitted that its people were involved in the 26/11 terrorist attack, the action that had started in that country did not reach any conclusion. So, to expect that Pakistan will send a terrorist to India, or that it will take legal action against him, is simply an imaginary proposition,” he added.

The non-bailable warrant against Hafiz Saeed was issued after the NIA named him as the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack in a supplementary chargesheet filed this month.

The special court, while dealing with an application under Section 75 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), noted that NIA Inspector Arun Sharma had sought the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against absconding accused Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and his various aliases in case RC No. 02/2025/NIA/JMU, in which a supplementary chargesheet had been filed.

Twenty-six people were killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. The NIA filed its first chargesheet in the case in December 2025.