NEW DELHI – India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed charges against Hafiz Saeed, alleging that he was involved in planning last year’s attack on tourists in Pahalgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The NIA accused Hafiz Saeed of “waging war against India” and conspiring from across the border in connection with the attack.
The Pahalgam incident triggered heightened tensions between Pakistan and India after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the attack. Following the incident, India unilaterally suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and launched military strikes on Pakistani territory. Pakistan rejected the allegations, denied any involvement in the attack, and responded to the Indian strikes.
The Indian authorities had initially attributed the attack to a little-known group called The Resistance Front. In its latest charges, the NIA alleged that the group operates as a proxy of the banned organization Lashkar-e-Taiba and accused Hafiz Saeed of directing the conspiracy.
Pakistan has consistently denied any role in the Pahalgam attack and has repeatedly called on India to provide evidence supporting its allegations. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has previously offered to support an independent and transparent investigation into the incident, maintaining that Pakistan is willing to cooperate in any credible inquiry.
Hafiz Saeed, who heads Jamaat-ud-Dawa, has previously been convicted in Pakistan in cases related to terror financing. India has also long accused him of being the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, allegations that have remained a major point of contention between the two neighbouring countries.
The latest charges come amid continued diplomatic tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi, with relations remaining strained following last year’s cross-border military escalation and ongoing disputes over regional security and Kashmir.
India has no answers to questions raised on Pahalgam false flag incident: DG ISPR
