Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan, NIA tells Jammu court; warrant issued
A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Jammu has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed in connection with a terror conspiracy case being investigated by the agency.
Special NIA Judge Prem Sagar issued the warrant after the agency approached the court, contending that Saeed was evading arrest despite his alleged involvement in the case.
According to the NIA, the case originated after Jammu and Kashmir Police intercepted a motorcyclist at a checkpoint in Srinagar’s Zakura area and recovered a Chinese hand grenade and 15 live rounds of ammunition from his possession.
During preliminary questioning, the suspect identified himself as Mohammad Naqeeb Bhat and failed to provide any valid explanation for possessing the arms and ammunition, the agency said.
The NIA stated that subsequent investigation revealed links between the accused and members of LeT and its proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF).
In its application before the court, the agency alleged that Saeed, a designated terrorist and founder of the banned LeT, was operating from Pakistan and providing weapons, funds and directions to militants active in the Kashmir Valley.
The agency informed the court that Saeed was deliberately evading arrest and sought issuance of a non-bailable warrant to enable further proceedings in the case.
Allowing the plea, the court observed that material collected during the investigation indicated the alleged involvement of the accused in terrorism-related activities.
“Keeping in view the fact that the accused person is at large and the investigating agency has not been able to procure his attendance in the ordinary manner, this motion is allowed,” the court said.
The judge directed issuance of a general non-bailable warrant against Saeed and forwarded it to the Deputy Inspector General, NIA Jammu, for execution in accordance with the law.
Notably, a special NIA court in Jammu had also issued a non-bailable warrant against Saeed in July this year in connection with the agency’s probe into the Pahalgam terror attack. The warrant was issued two days after the NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet naming him in the case.
