National Investigation Agency (NIA) has told a special court in Jammu that Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed is in Pakistan and is evading arrest, securing a second non-bailable warrant against the designated terrorist in two months.
The warrant was issued in a case involving an alleged terror network accused of supplying weapons, funds and instructions to militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
The NIA told the court that Saeed, a resident of Sargodha in Pakistan’s Punjab province, was an absconding accused and was allegedly directing operations in the Kashmir Valley from Pakistan.
The case stems from the arrest of Mohammad Naqeeb Bhat during a security check at Pandach on the outskirts of Srinagar earlier this year. Investigators recovered a China-made grenade and 15 live rounds from Bhat, a resident of Batpora, according to PTI.
Bhat was booked under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act. The subsequent investigation led to the arrest of several alleged militants linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF), as well as two Pakistani nationals, the NIA said.
The agency told the court that Saeed’s alleged involvement emerged during the investigation and that the Pakistani nationals arrested in the case were allegedly associated with him.
“Saeed is operating from Pakistan and providing weapons, money and directions to terrorists operating in the Kashmir Valley,” the NIA said in its application, according to court proceedings.
Special NIA Judge Prem Sagar, hearing the case on Sept. 8, noted that Saeed’s alleged involvement had emerged during the investigation and that he was at large and had not been brought before the court through ordinary means. The court subsequently issued a general non-bailable warrant against him.
The latest warrant is the second issued against Saeed by the Special NIA Court in Jammu in two months.
On July 8, the court issued another non-bailable warrant against Saeed in connection with the April 2025 Pahalgam attack, in which 25 tourists and a local resident were killed.
Saeed, who is designated as a terrorist by India and other countries, is the founder of LeT, which India has blamed for several attacks. He has been held in Pakistan in the past in connection with terrorism-related cases.
