Pahalgam: Pakistan beefs up Hafiz Saeed's security, shifts him to Lahore's dense civilian locality, says report

Pakistan’s ISI and government have increased security for Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, fearing a possible covert operation following the Pahalgam terror attack, The Times of India reported, citing sources.

According to the report, he is being sheltered in a densely populated area of Lahore, with former SSG commandos deployed for his protection.

Saeed has been deliberately placed in a densely populated area of Lahore, surrounded by a mosque, madrassa, and civilian homes, sources told The Times of India.

Former Special Service Group commandos have been added to his security detail, with additional personnel deployed at his residences, including his home in Lahore’s Mohalla Johar.

Although officially in prison, Saeed’s house has been declared a temporary sub-jail. A control room has been set up to monitor all movements within a one-kilometre radius using CCTV cameras equipped with gesture detection technology.

The Resistance Front (TRF), a group linked to Seed’s Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.

He is wanted by both the US and India for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks and is also held responsible for the recent killings in Pahalgam.

Hafiz Saeed is officially in the custody of the Pakistan government, serving a 46-year sentence after being convicted in seven terror financing cases.

In April 2022, he was sentenced to 31 years in two such cases, on top of a 15-year sentence from 2020 for similar charges. However, the court allowed all sentences to run at the same time. Though shown as arrested since 2019, Saeed has made over two dozen public appearances in the last three years, the most recent one in February.

He moves with heavy security, including former SSG commandos, and is often seen at terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and at camps in Muridke, Bahawalpur, and Rawalakot.

After India revoked Article 370 in 2019, Saeed rebranded Lashkar-e-Taiba as The Resistance Front in 2020.

On Wednesday, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang also threatened retaliation for the Pahalgam attack. Sharing Saeed’s photo in a social media post, the gang stated they would target someone of high value to Pakistan.

The Pahalgam attack, one of the deadliest in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama strike, is seen as part of Pakistan’s ongoing attempts to disrupt peace and development in the region, which had been progressing following the abrogation of Article 370.

Pakistan fears India will launch military response to Pahalgam attack

On Wednesday, Pakistan claimed it had “credible intelligence” suggesting that India might launch military action within the next 24 to 36 hours in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which it said was carried out by terrorists backed by Pakistan’s military and intelligence services. It also warned of consequences if such action is taken.

Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, said in a post on X that India was preparing military action based on “false and baseless allegations” regarding Pakistan’s role in the Pahalgam attack.