Jammu NIA Court Issues Open‑Ended NBW Against Hafiz Saeed in Terror Case

SRINAGAR: A Special NIA Court in Jammu has issued an open‑ended non‑bailable warrant (NBW) against Pakistan-based Jama'at-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed in connection with a terror‑related case currently under investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The warrant, issued by the Special Judge after considering an NIA application in RC No. 02/2025/NIA/JMU, reflects the agency’s submission that Saeed, a UN‑designated terrorist, has been deliberately evading arrest and that his custodial interrogation is essential for a fair and effective investigation.

According to the NIA, Saeed—son of Kamal‑ud‑Din and a resident of Sargodha in Pakistan’s Punjab province—is the founder of the banned (LeT) and has been declared a terrorist in India as well under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The court, after examining the material placed on record, agreed that Saeed’s arrest and custodial questioning were necessary to advance the probe. It subsequently issued the NBW and directed the DIG, NIA Jammu, to execute it in accordance with law. The case involves offences under Sections 147, 148, 149, 150 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with multiple provisions of the UAPA, and the NIA has already filed a supplementary chargesheet in this matter.

This development comes even as the NIA continues to deepen its investigation into the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack—an entirely separate case—where the agency last week filed a major supplementary chargesheet naming Hafiz Saeed as a key accused. In the Pahalgam case, Saeed has been alleged to be the principal conspirator behind the attack that killed 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local horse‑handler, marking one of the deadliest civilian-targeted terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years. The NIA has chargesheeted him both individually and as the head of LeT and its alleged proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF), accusing him of masterminding a cross‑border conspiracy aimed at waging war against India and directing operations through LeT‑TRF networks.

Saeed’s global designation as a terrorist is long‑standing. The United Nations Security Council listed him on its sanctions roster on December 10, 2008 for his association with LeT and Al‑Qaeda‑linked activities. The United States designated him a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in May 2008 and later announced a reward for information leading to his prosecution. These designations reflect the severe harm, loss of life, and human rights violations associated with extremist networks he is accused of leading.

The supplementary chargesheet in the Pahalgam case—filed under multiple provisions of the BNS, 2023, and the UAPA, 1967—adds to the original 1,597‑page chargesheet submitted earlier. Investigators say it contains detailed evidence of Pakistan’s alleged role in planning and facilitating the attack, Saeed’s involvement in the conspiracy, and material gathered through forensic analysis, intelligence inputs, digital evidence, and extensive field investigations. The attack took place in the Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam in Anantnag district, where terrorists allegedly carried out religion‑based targeted killings of tourists. The case was initially registered as FIR No. 25/2025 at Police Station Pahalgam before being transferred to the NIA by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The original chargesheet had named Pakistani handler Sajid Jatt, three terrorists killed during Operation Mahadev near Srinagar, and two arrested individuals. LeT and TRF were also named as accused entities, held responsible for planning, facilitating, and executing the attack. The NIA maintains that investigations in RC‑02/2025/NIA/JMU and the Pahalgam case are ongoing, with efforts focused on exposing the full architecture of the conspiracy, identifying all operatives and facilitators, tracing cross‑border instructions, and establishing the chain of command linking ground‑level perpetrators to Pakistan‑based leadership.

Officials say the supplementary chargesheet against Hafiz Saeed in the Pahalgam case marks the most significant development so far, even as the open‑ended NBW issued in the separate case adds further legal pressure on the LeT founder. Together, these actions reflect India’s intensified efforts to establish Saeed’s direct role in orchestrating terror operations that have drawn national outrage and international condemnation, officials in J&K’s winter capital Jammu said