Arindam Bagchi, an official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated on Friday that India has asked the Pakistani government to extradite Hafiz Saeed to India so he can stand trial in a specific case. Answering this, Pakistan has denied the extradition saying there is “no bilateral deportation treaty”. India and Islamabad do not have an extradition agreement. According to those with knowledge of the situation, extradition is still feasible even in the absence of a framework agreement, as PTI stated.
This is happening just as Pakistan is getting ready for the general elections that are scheduled for February 8. Hafiz Saeed’s political organization, the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), has put up candidates for every national and provincial assembly seat.
Mumtaz Zahra, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has announced that India has requested that Hafiz Saeed, the leader of Lashkar-E-Taiba (LeT) and the alleged mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, be extradited. According to Zahra, India and Pakistan do not have a bilateral extradition treaty that would facilitate the extradition of terrorists who have been banned by the UN.
Arindam Bagchi’s Briefing
As per reports, Arindam Bagchi, an official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in her weekly briefing stated, “The individual in question (Hafiz Saeed) is wanted in numerous cases in India. And he is a terrorist designated by the UN. In this regard, we have requested that he be extradited to India to stand trial in a specific case, and we have sent the Pakistani government the necessary supporting documentation.”
“We have been bringing attention to the activities for which he is wanted. This request is new,” he continued.
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Who is Hafiz Saeed?
Hafiz Saeed is the person responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. He co-founded the terrorist organization Lashkar-E-Taiba. He has been most wanted by several nations around the world. Hafiz Saeed was declared a terrorist by the EU and UN in the 2000s, but for almost 20 years, he was never charged or extradited. In December 2008, the United Nations Security Council classified Saeed as a terrorist.
Hafiz Saeed In Pakistan Jail
A special anti-terrorism court in Lahore, Pakistan, sentenced Muhammad Hafiz Saeed, who has been detained since July 17, 2019, to 33 years in prison for “financing terrorism.” Saeed has been in custody for other offenses since April 2022.
According to Dawn a Pakistani newspaper, Talha Saeed, the son of Hafiz Saeed, will run in the National Assembly’s NA-127 constituency in Lahore.
Source: Live Mint
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