A Jammu court has issued a non-bailable warrant against Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in connection with the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack case, opening the possibility of initiating trial proceedings in his absence.
The development follows a supplementary chargesheet submitted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on July 6, in which Saeed was named as an accused. The agency has alleged that he was the key figure behind the April 22, 2025 attack in Pahalgam that resulted in the deaths of 26 people, most of them tourists.
While seeking the warrant, the NIA informed the court: "(The) Accused is deliberately evading his arrest and NIA prays for issuance of an open dated non-bailable warrant against him to initiate further proceedings in the matter and to take legal action against him at any further investigation."
The anti-terror agency stated in its plea that Saeed is currently residing in Pakistan and that bringing him before an Indian court has not been possible. The NIA further argued that efforts to obtain his extradition from Pakistan had "virtually been exhausted", making it necessary for legal proceedings to move forward without requiring his physical appearance.
According to the agency’s investigation, the conspiracy behind the Pahalgam attack was planned from Pakistan, with Saeed allegedly playing a significant role in coordinating the operation.
The NIA has also accused Saeed of involvement in multiple earlier terror attacks targeting India.
Legal provisions under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) allow courts to conduct trials in absentia when an accused person is outside the country, intentionally avoids appearing before the court and there is adequate evidence to proceed against them for serious criminal offences.
Before a trial can begin without the accused present, the court must first issue summons and warrants. If the individual continues to remain absent, they may be declared a proclaimed offender, allowing the judicial process to proceed in their absence.
The agency’s initial chargesheet in the case identified three Pakistani terrorists—Suleman, Jibran and Hamza Afghani—as accused, along with Pakistan-based LeT operative Sajid Saifullah Jatt and Pahalgam residents Bashir Hai Ahmed and Parvez Ahmed.
The NIA investigation into the attack is still underway as authorities continue examining the broader cross-border conspiracy linked to one of the most serious terror incidents reported in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years.
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