Hafeez Saeed, 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind set free by Pakistan court

New Delhi – Pakistan’s High Court has acquitted Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and six of his associates in a terror funding case due to lack of evidence. Last year, Pakistan’s anti-terrorism court had sentenced the convicts to 10 and 11 years in prison in two different cases on charges of funding terrorists. At that time, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs had reacted by saying that the cases and action against Hafeez Saeed was just an eyewash which has come true after the latest decision of the High Court.

Analysts claim that Pakistan is struggling to get out of the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). However, currently, there are no signs of relief for Pakistan. With internal crisis and pressure mounting on Pakistan, it seems that Prime Minister Imran Khan has bowed down to extremists’ demands.

Pakistan’s High Court in Lahore acquitted Hafiz Saeed from the charge of financing terrorists. Hafeez Saeed is out of jail within one year. Along with Hafiz Saeed, the High Court also pardoned terrorists Abdul Rehman Makki, Nasrullah, Yahya Mujahid and Malik Zafar Iqbal. The Lahore High Court overturned the anti-terrorism court’s decision as the prosecutors failed to prove charges and due to a lack of strong evidence.

Pakistan Government was accused of protecting Hafeez Sayeed by keeping him in jail with all facilities and access. Therefore, many experts had claimed the arrest was to dissuade attention. India had reacted to Hafeez Saeed’s sentencing last year, accusing Pakistan of staging the trials to fool the world. India’s allegations are proven true after Pakistan’s high court sets Hafiz Sayeed free.

The case against Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has not made any progress. Rehman Lakhvi and all the other accused in the case are also set free. Therefore, it is expected that Pakistan would not take any actions as it considers terrorists as its strategic assets and blames non-state actors after a terrorist attack.

Currently, Pakistan faces a huge internal crisis. Extremist organisations are becoming aggressive, which is one of the challenges. Imran Khan’s complete surrender to Tehreek-e-Labbaik is evident as the Pakistan government has agreed to all the demands of Tehreek-e-Labbaik, a terrorist organisation, after violent protests. On Sunday, the ban on Tehreek-e-Labbaik was also lifted, allowing them to contest an election. The Imran Khan government was falsely accusing India of supporting the Tehreek-e-Labbaik protests. The Imran Khan government has failed on all fronts and there is huge anger against the government in Pakistan. The release of Hafeez Sayeed is considered the reason, which would save Imran Khan from drawing the wrath of the radical group.

Also, FATF has adopted a tough stance against Pakistan. Therefore, Pakistan has realised that they will not be able to get out of the FATF list no matter what they attempt. However, Pakistan would probably continue to stage such dummy actions before the next FATF meeting.