Cleric Claims Hafiz Saeed Dispatched 10,000 Fighters to Kashmir

During a public gathering in Bahawalnagar on August 14, Pakistani cleric Naseer Madni asserted that Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed directed 10,000 terrorists into Kashmir. The statement, delivered shortly after the cleric recovered from a cardiac emergency, reignites scrutiny regarding the scale of LeT’s long-standing militant operations across the border.

Editorial·August 18, 2026·reads: 1,958

Cleric Claims Hafiz Saeed Dispatched 10,000 Fighters to Kashmir

Hafiz Saeed remains a primary figure in India’s ongoing terrorism investigations, with his organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba, designated as a global threat by the United Nations since 2005. The United States added Saeed to its terrorism list in 2008, citing his leadership in an outfit accused of orchestrating the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. That assault, which began on November 26, 2008, resulted in 166 deaths and left hundreds injured after coordinated strikes across the city.

Legal pressure continues to mount against the cleric. In July, a Jammu court issued a non-bailable warrant for Saeed linked to the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, an incident that claimed 26 lives. Meanwhile, Mumbai authorities have initiated in absentia trial proceedings against six Pakistani nationals involved in the 2008 Mumbai massacre. Should these trials result in convictions, the legal path for sentencing remains contingent on the eventual apprehension and extradition of the accused.