ISI beefs up security for Hafiz Saeed amid fears of Indian retaliation over Pahalgam attack
New Delhi: In anticipation of a possible targeted response following the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has intensified security arrangements for Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaatud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, currently lodged in Lahore’s congested Mohalla Johar area, media reports said.
Though Pakistan has officially imprisoned him, Saeed continues to enjoy VIP-level security, which includes the presence of former Special Service Group (SSG) commandos and advanced surveillance mechanisms.
The Times of India reported, citing sources, that his residence—located in a densely populated civilian area surrounded by a mosque, madrasa, and residential buildings—has been turned into a temporary sub-jail.
A dedicated control room has been set up to monitor activity within a one-kilometre radius using CCTV cameras equipped with gesture-recognition technology.
Saeed, 77, is a wanted figure for both India and the United States in connection with the 2008 Mumbai attacks and has also been implicated in masterminding the recent massacre in Pahalgam.
Though sentenced to 46 years in prison for seven terror financing cases, he has made more than two dozen public appearances in the past three years—the most recent being in February.
His name has resurfaced after the Lawrence Bishnoi gang posted a threat online, featuring Saeed’s image and warning of an imminent strike on a high-value target in Pakistan, in retaliation for the Pahalgam killings.
Despite being “under arrest” since 2019, Saeed reportedly continues to visit terror launch sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and camps in Muridke, Rawalkot, and Bahawalpur.
Following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2020, he is said to have rebranded Lashkar-e-Taiba as The Resistance Front, which remains active.
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