India formally asks Pakistan to extradite 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed

India has formally requested Pakistan to hand over Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The notorious figure, who remains a wanted terrorist in India, has continued to operate freely from within Pakistan. His son, Talha Saeed, recently announced that he will stand for the upcoming Pakistani general elections.

The request has been an extradition request from New Delhi to Islamabad. Indian agencies, including NIA, have been involved in the case. Hafiz Saeed is the co-founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a United Nations-listed terror group. He was the key man behind the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital.

In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack, Hafiz Saeed was swiftly listed under the 'United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee on Al-Qaida and ISIL' in December 2008. The United States and the European Union have also designated him as an international terrorist. Reflecting the severity of his actions, the US government had in 2012 offered a substantial USD 10 million bounty for information leading to the capture of Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.

For India, terrorism originating from territories under Pakistan's control remains a pressing concern in bilateral relations. New Delhi has consistently emphasized the urgent need for Pakistan to take credible, irreversible, and verifiable action to curb cross-border terrorism directed against India. India has also called upon Pakistan to expedite the trial of the Mumbai terror attacks case, providing all relevant evidence to facilitate justice. However, despite sharing conclusive evidence, there has been minimal progress in the ongoing trial within Pakistan.

In response to reports of India's extradition request for Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry declined to comment much. It said, "The question is based on speculative reporting. We would not like to comment on such reports."