New Delhi: India is set to send summons to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed in Lahore, in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack case.
The summons will be routed through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court last month issued a non-bailable warrant against Saeed.
The NIA has accused Saeed of being one of the masterminds behind the deadly attack on 22nd April, 2025, when 25 male tourists and a local man were killed.
If Saeed does not appear despite the completion of the required legal process, the NIA could try him in absentia under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
Section 356 permits a court to conduct an inquiry or trial and pronounce judgment against a proclaimed offender who has absconded and skipped proceedings.
However, the court has to complete some procedural requirements before initiating a trial in absentia. These include issuing two consecutive arrest warrants and publishing a notice directing the proclaimed offender to appear.
The trial can begin only after 90 days have passed from the date on which charges were framed. If the accused is not represented, the state will have to provide an advocate for his defence.
Saeed, named in a supplementary chargesheet filed by NIA in July, has been charged under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The charges include waging war against India and conspiring from Pakistan to carry out the attack.
NIA’s original 1,597-page chargesheet, filed on December 15, 2025, named seven accused, including alleged Pakistani handler Sajid Jatt and the banned LeT/TRF as a legal entity.