How Imran Khan nurtured Hafiz Saeed’s reign of terror in Pakistan

Global headlines emanating from Pakistan recommend that Hafiz Saeed – the United Nations designated international terrorist – has been going through a troublesome time in Pakistan with current reported clampdowns on terrorist networks. In actuality, the hydra-headed terror community of Saeed has grown by leaps and bounds, underneath almost 4 years of rule of Imran Khan.

Since the autumn of Kabul, a number of intelligence inputs have been hinting at a rising nexus between Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiyaba (LeT) and the Afghan Taliban. An India Today visible investigation now establishes how this alliance was nurtured quickly after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, by the erstwhile Imran Khan administration to disturb peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

Founded by Saeed, the proscribed terror outfit LeT has been camouflaged underneath its social entrance Jamat-ud-Dawa (JUD).

Pakistan continues to stay on the gray checklist of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), going through fixed strain on Islamabad to take actions in opposition to terrorist networks.

Visuals of a gathering organized by Saeed’s outfit in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa quickly after the whole seize of neighbouring Afghanistan by the Taliban, present high aides of Hafiz Saeed, political chief from Imran Khan’s occasion, probably the most recognized face from Afghan Taliban’s breeding floor Darul-Uloom-Haqqania and a typical relative of Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Asia Anrabi at one place.

Also Read: | Mumbai terror assault mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s son declared a terrorist by India

Organised underneath the blessings of the institution, the gathering witnessed a minor boy swearing the identify of Hafiz Saeed, who vowed to choose up a Kalashnikov gun like his brothers who tried to infiltrate the borders and killed in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The prophecy of your and my leader, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, has come true and the Mujahids have defeated the United States in Afghanistan and now we will free Kashmir from India”, the minor boy at school-going age, might be heard saying. He quickly revealed the names of two terrorists, Wasim and Waqas, who had been allegedly killed in motion earlier.

“Please pray to God that the sacrifice of my brothers is accepted and now I will pick up the fallen Kalashnikov of my brother Waqas”, the brainwashed boy is heard telling the gathering.

#EXCLUSIVE: Mega India Today investigation unmasks the LeT-Taliban nexus, Hafiz Saeed’s banned outfit held meet with Taliban in 2021 #HafizSaeed #Pakistan #Taliban | @nabilajamal_ pic.twitter.com/BayON4fKyo

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NEW GEELANI ON THE BLOCK

Soon after his speech, one other particular person named Syed Mujahid Geelani, who recognized himself because the grandson of separatist chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani and nephew of one other hardliner, Asia Andrabi, took to the stage and claimed political inheritance over the bloodshed.

“I am standing here as the successor of the senior-most member of the Geelani family, Syed Ali Geelani”.

Also Read: | Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the person whose coronary heart belonged to Pakistan

He later claimed to be the one true successor of Asia Andrabi in addition to to all of the militants killed in Jammu and Kashmir that he recognized as ‘martyrs’.

The Geelani scion emphasised the necessity to create violence in Jammu and Kashmir and added “only you people can make it happen. Freedom is never achieved with mere words and a pen. Freedom has to be achieved with guns, freedom is not served on a platter, freedom has to be snatched”.

UNIVERSITY OF JIHAD REPRESENTATION

The visitor of honour on the JuD occasion buzzing with anti-India slogans was probably the most recognized cleric – of Darul-Uloom-Haqqania Akora Khattak, higher referred to as Pakistan’s University of Jihad.

Maulana Yousaf Shah addressed the gathering within the native language Pashto amid anti-India sloganeering from the group.

Also Read: | Terrorist Hafiz Saeed sentenced to 31 years in jail by Pak court docket in 2 terror instances

The seminary is related to Afghanistan’s high Taliban leaders and birthplace of the Taliban’s most-violent faction – the Haqqani Network.

According to the New York Times, the seminary has educated extra Taliban leaders than any faculty on this planet, who now management the administration, with key positions within the Afghanistan authorities.

The lengthy checklist of alumni contains however shouldn’t be restricted to Sirajuddin Haqqani, one of many Taliban’s high navy leaders and the brand new performing inside minister of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, international minister, and Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the upper training minister. By most accounts, clerics resembling Maulana Shah maintain vital management over the Haqqani faction of the Afghan Taliban.

Among Hafiz Saeed’s shut aides who had been seen on the gathering included Saifullah Khalid, Hafiz Saeed’s political right-hand man and President of Milli Muslim League, Pakistan, Qari Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh, JuD and LeT chief and Hafiz Abdur Rauf, head of JuD’s charity Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF).

Also Read: | India designates Pakistani nationwide as terrorist for involvement in Pulwama assault

Both Yaqoob and Rauf have been sanctioned by India and the United States for his or her terror actions and hyperlinks with LeT. Yaqoob was a member of LeT’s central advisory committee and was the chief of LeT’s international affairs division through the 26/11 Mumbai assaults.

According to the US authorities data, Sheikh intently labored with LeT’s worldwide donors and was a part of “the delegation that traveled to the Gulf on behalf of LET seeking support” earlier than, in 2007. Rauf has labored as LeT’s Director of Humanitarian Relief – liable for assortment of funds by disguised charity networks. He later took over management of the FIF from Yaqoob.

IMRAN’S OPEN PATRONAGE

Adding gas to the fireplace was a mainstream politician from Imran Khan’s political occasion – Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who went to the extent of searching for martyrdom for himself and vowed open assist for Hafiz Saeed’s outfit.

Arif Yousaf, a former Member of Provincial Assembly and a cabinet rank official from PTI introduced from the dais “I seek martyrdom for myself in front of all of you, I am with you. Wherever the JuD needs my help, I will be there. May god help you succeed”.

HAFIZ’S CONVICTION FARCE?

Contrary to the mainstream reportage of the over 30-year sentence lately awarded to Saeed, India’s most needed terrorist may quickly stroll free, making the most of the authorized loopholes within the judgment.

Hafiz’s supposed 33-year jail time period pronounced by the anti-terrorism court docket earlier this month is compartmentalized into not less than eight separate convictions. The highest of them is 5 years.

According to the court docket order, all of the sentences are speculated to run concurrently, lowering the whole jail time period Saeed is meant to serve.

Also Read: | Pakistan court docket sentences 4 to demise in case of blast exterior JuD chief Hafiz Saeed’s home

But that’s not all; the court docket has additionally given the UN-designated international terrorist the advantages of Section 382-B of Pakistan’s CrPC.

Under this profit clause, earlier sham house-detentions, served by the 26/11 terror attacker, may compensate for a big chunk of the sentence awarded by the current anti-terror court docket.

Under regular circumstances, the particular authorized profit shouldn’t be prolonged to convicts of heinous crimes, however this particular courtesy has been prolonged in Hafiz Saeed’s case. As the ability facilities shift in Islamabad, it’s but to be seen if one in every of India’s most needed terrorists walks free once more.