26/11 terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan custody serving 78-year jail term, says UNSC

New York [US]: The 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed is in the custody of Pakistan and serving a 78-year imprisonment sentence, the United Nations said in updated information.

As a result of his conviction in seven terror financing cases, Saeed has been serving his sentence since February 12, 2020.

The Security Council Committee amended a few names in its lists of people and organisations last month that are subject to the travel ban, arms embargo, and asset freeze last month, targeting Da’esh and ISIL.
The Date on which the narrative summary about Hafiz Saeed became available on the Committee’s website was March 9, 2009, whereas it was updated on December 19, 2023.

“Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was listed on 10 December 2008 pursuant to paragraphs 1 and 2 of resolution 1822 (2008) as being associated with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (QDe.118) and Al Qaida (QDe.004) for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating of acts of activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf or in support of” both entities,” the UN stated as the reason for his listing.

“In accordance with paragraph 13 of resolution 1822 (2008) and subsequent related resolutions, the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee makes accessible a narrative summary of reasons for the listing for individuals, groups, undertakings and entities included in the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List,” according to the UN.

Hafiz Saeed is the leader and chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). As an overall leader, Saeed played a key role in LeT’s operational and fundraising activities.

Earlier in December, Pakistan received India’s request for the extradition of 26/11 attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, according to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.

But she said that no bilateral extradition treaty exists between India and Pakistan.

In a statement, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch had said, “Pakistan has received a request from the Indian authorities, seeking extradition of Hafiz Saeed in a so-called money laundering case.”

Following that, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said India has conveyed a request to the Pakistan government regarding the extradition of Hafiz Saeed to India for facing trial in a particular case.

Addressing a weekly briefing, the spokesperson had said, “The person in question (Hafiz Saeed) is wanted in numerous cases in India. He is also a UN-proscribed terrorist. In this regard, we have conveyed a request along with relevant supporting documents, to the government of Pakistan to extradite him to India to face trial in a particular case.

Notably, Saeed, who is a UN-proscribed terrorist is the founder of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He was the mastermind of the deadly 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and is wanted in India in numerous cases.

Muhammad Hafiz Saeed, who has been in jail since July 17, 2019, for other charges, was sentenced in April 2022 by a special anti-terrorism court in Lahore, Pakistan, to a jail term of 33 years for “financing terrorism.”

Despite being designated a terrorist by the UN and EU in the 2000s, Saeed was neither charged nor extradited over nearly two decades. Saeed was designated as a terrorist by the United Nations Security Council in December 2008.