India Requests Extradition of Hafiz Saeed, Responds to His Son’s Intentions
India announced on Friday that it has recently submitted a renewed request to Pakistan for the extradition of Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, who is accused of orchestrating the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and being involved in other acts of terrorism. The request was conveyed a few weeks ago through the Indian high commission in Islamabad, despite the absence of an extradition treaty between India and Pakistan, according to Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the external affairs ministry. Bagchi acknowledged reports that Saeed’s son, Talha Saeed, plans to contest Pakistan’s upcoming general election and commented on the normalization of radical terrorist groups participating in elections as part of Islamabad’s long-standing state policy. The request for Saeed’s extradition follows a new development in one of the cases against him in India, unrelated to the Mumbai attacks, according to anonymous sources. Saeed, convicted in multiple cases of terror financing, has never been charged by Pakistani authorities in connection with LeT attacks in India. Bagchi stressed India’s ongoing efforts to address criminal or terrorist activities involving individuals wanted in the country, and despite the lack of an extradition treaty, the recent request was made to Pakistan and other nations. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch declined to comment on the reports of India’s extradition request for Saeed.
