Lashkar-e-taiba Founder Jailed For 31 Years In Pakistan

Hafez Saeed was sentenced to 31 years in prison by a Pakistani court for founding the militant Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The new sentence for Saeed does not yet specify how many years he will spend in prison given his current imprisonment as well as the concurrent validity of the sentences, according to a local Arabic daily.

United States and Indian authorities accused him of orchestrating the 2008 Mumbai attack.

Reuters reported on Friday that a court order dated April 7 stated that "the judgments issued to Hafez Muhammad Saeed will be implemented in conjunction with this case and with any other judgments that have been issued previously.".

Several similar charges were already brought against Saeed in 2020.

The gunmen infiltrated Mumbai by boat from Pakistan in 2008 and killed 160 people, including Americans. Saeed was arrested and released several times over the past decade, and denies involvement in militant activity.

For information leading to Saeed's conviction, the United States is offering a $10 million reward.

Pakistan recently won a ruling on its ability to combat illegal financing in the fight against militant organizations, an event that coincides with national efforts to avoid blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force.

Pakistan has refused to extradite Saeed to India to be tried for his role in the Mumbai attack, which he is suspected of having played.

Saeed's son, Hafez Talha Saeed, has been designated a "terrorist" by India, according to the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. India has not commented on Saeed's new ruling.

Talha Saeed, a cleric who lives in Lahore, Pakistan, was charged with actively recruiting, financing, planning and executing attacks against India as well as targeting the country's interests in Afghanistan.

India blames its old rival Pakistan for decades of Islamist militants in their attacks on Indian targets across the region. Islamabad denies this and accuses New Delhi of supporting separatist rebels in Pakistan.

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