Request for Hafiz Saeed’s extradition to India has been made “some weeks ago,” the MEA said
India has said it has made a fresh request to Pakistan to extradite Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks Hafiz Saeed to the country to face trial for his alleged role in the acts of terrorism.
 
“The person in question 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 (the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks),” Arindam Bagchi, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said during a briefing on Friday.
 
The MEA Spokesperson also said that a recent request for Hafiz Saeed’s extradition to India has been made “some weeks ago.”
 
On reports of Saeed’s son Talha Saeed’s plans to contest next year’s general election in Pakistan, Bagchi said, “The issue of radical elements being normalised and participating in elections ...in Pakistan is nothing new, and has been a part of their state policy for a long time.”
 
“Such developments have serious implications for the security of our region. On our part, we will, of course, continue to monitor all developments that have an implication on our national security,” the MEA Spokesperson added.
 
The Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), a political outfit set up by Hafiz Saeed, a UN designated terrorist, will contest the February 8 general elections in Pakistan, a report by Dawn, a Pakistani English daily said.
 
As per Dawn’s report, the PMML has fielded candidates for each and every national and provincial assembly constituency of Pakistan. Hafiz Saeed's son Talha Saeed is also in the run and will contest the polls from National Assembly’s constituency NA-127, Lahore, as per the report.
 
Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has been in jail since 2019 after being found guilty in several terror financing cases. The US has placed a $10 million bounty on this mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.