Daijiworld Media Network - Jammu
Jammu, Sep 12: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder and India's most-wanted terrorist Hafiz Saeed is in Pakistan and is allegedly directing terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a Special Court in Jammu, which issued a second non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him in two months.
The NIA sought the warrant against Saeed, a designated terrorist and founder of the proscribed LeT, under Section 75 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The agency described him as an "absconding accused" in a terror case involving the supply of weapons, funds and directions to terror groups operating in the Union Territory.
The case stems from the arrest of Mohammad Naqeeb Bhat during a checking operation at Pandach on the outskirts of Srinagar earlier this year. A China-made grenade and 15 live rounds were recovered from Bhat, a resident of Batpora. He was booked at Zakoora Police Station under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
The subsequent investigation led to the dismantling of a terror network and the arrest of several terrorists linked to LeT and its offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF), besides two Pakistani nationals.
According to the NIA, Saeed's involvement emerged during the investigation. The agency said the arrested Pakistani nationals were allegedly associated with him and that he was operating from Pakistan while providing weapons, money and directions to terrorists active in the Kashmir Valley.
The NIA told the court that Saeed, a resident of Sargodha in Pakistan's Punjab province, was deliberately evading arrest and remained beyond the reach of the law.
Special Judge under the NIA Act Prem Sagar, after hearing the agency, observed on September 8 that Saeed's involvement had surfaced during the investigation and that he was allegedly involved in terrorism. The court noted that he was at large and that the investigating agency had been unable to secure his attendance through ordinary means before issuing the general non-bailable warrant.
The latest warrant is the second NBW issued against Saeed by the Special NIA Court in Jammu within two months. On July 8, the court had issued the first NBW against him in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack in April, in which 25 tourists and a local resident were killed.