The Indian government has declared Hafiz Talha Saeed, the son of Lashkar-e-Taiba head Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) after a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday night.
According to a notification released by the ministry, Hafiz Talha Saeed is a senior commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group and the head of the LeT’s cleric branch. He is actively involved in recruitment, fund gathering, planning and executing strikes by LeT in India and Indian interests in Afghanistan.
Talha Saeed has also been “actively touring numerous LeT centres throughout Pakistan and preaching for jihad against India, Israel, the United States of America, and Indian interests in other western countries.
The Central government considers Hafiz Talha Saeed to be implicated in terrorism and that he should be declared a terrorist under the UAPA, according to the statement.
Who is Hafiz Talha Saeed?
Hafiz Saeed is accused of carrying out the Mumbai terror assault on November 26, 2008, in which 166 people were killed.
Hafiz Saeed, 70-year-old has previously been convicted of terror financing in various cases. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2020.
In Pakistan, he has spent several years in and out of various sorts of incarceration, including house arrest. He, on the other hand, is free to traverse the country and deliver incendiary remarks directed toward India.
He was apprehended in 2019, right before Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s trip to the United States. President Donald Trump had tweeted at the time that Saeed had been apprehended following a ten-year search.
Saeed was on his way from Lahore to Gujranwala to testify before an anti-terrorism court when he was arrested by the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD).
Pakistan jailed Hafiz Saeed and his four aides in 2017, but they were released after nearly 11 months when the Punjab Judicial Review Board refused to renew their detention.
Also Read: Video of Husky Reuniting with Owner After Bucha Violence Goes Viral, Melts Hearts of Netizens
Hafiz Saeed was sentenced to 31 years in prison in Pakistan
Talha’s father, JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, was condemned to 31 years in prison by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court on the same day. As per multiple reports, the court also fined the United Nations classified terrorist who is a co-founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group PKR 3,40,000.
What is the UAPA amendment 2019?
In August 2019, the Central Government revised the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 to include a clause that allows an individual to be designated as a terrorist.
Only organisations could be labelled as terrorist groups before this change. Individuals can now be designated as terrorists by the government.
Since the amendment, the Ministry has labelled nine people as terrorists under the provisions of the UAPA Act in July 2020.
Also Read: US Professor Calls Police on Students Who Were 2 Minutes Late to Class, Removed from Teaching
Others who are designated as terrorists in India
Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, Riyaz Bhatkal, lqbal Bhatkal, Chhota Shakeel, and Tiger Memon are among individuals who have been declared as terrorists by India.
Follow Us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Flipboard
