The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court will send summons to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, who has been named as an accused in the Pahalgam terror attack case.
The summons, directing Saeed to appear before the special NIA court in Jammu for trial, will be routed through the Ministry of External Affairs.
The court has already issued a non-bailable warrant against Saeed. The NIA has accused him of being one of the masterminds behind the April 2025 attack, in which 25 tourists and a local resident were killed.
Trial may proceed in Saeed’s absence
If Saeed does not appear despite the completion of the required legal process, the court may try him in his absence under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
The provision permits a court to conduct an inquiry or trial and pronounce judgment against a proclaimed offender who has absconded to evade proceedings and has no immediate prospect of arrest.
Before initiating a trial in absentia, the court must complete several procedural requirements. These include issuing two consecutive arrest warrants and publishing a notice directing the proclaimed offender to appear.
The trial cannot begin until 90 days have passed from the date on which charges were framed. If the accused is not represented, the state must provide an advocate for his defence.
Hafiz Saeed named in supplementary chargesheet
The NIA named Saeed in a supplementary chargesheet filed in July, arraigning him in his individual capacity and as the head of the banned LeT and its proxy outfit, The Resistance Front.
Saeed 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.
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The supplementary chargesheet was filed in continuation of the NIA’s original 1,597-page chargesheet. According to the agency, it details the alleged Pakistan-based conspiracy, Saeed’s role, and the evidence collected during the investigation.
The NIA has alleged that the attack was part of a conspiracy involving Pakistani handlers, foreign terrorists, and local logistical support.
What the original chargesheet said
The original chargesheet, filed on December 15, 2025, named seven accused, including alleged Pakistani handler Sajid Jatt and the banned LeT/TRF as a legal entity.
It also named three Pakistani terrorists Faisal Jatt alias Suleman Shah, Habeeb Tahir alias Jibran, and Hamza Afghani who were killed by security forces during Operation Mahadev in Dachigam in July 2025.
Two local residents, Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Jothad, were arrested on allegations of harbouring the terrorists.
The accused were charged under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Arms Act, and the UAPA. The NIA invoked charges including waging war against India and alleged that the conspiracy had been directed from Pakistan.
According to the agency, the gunmen targeted tourists on the basis of their religious identity in an attempt to create communal divisions and damage Kashmir’s tourism sector.
The attack took place in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. The case was initially registered by Pahalgam Police before the Union Home Ministry transferred the investigation to the NIA.
NIA probes local support network
The chargesheet has also focused on the alleged use of local harbourers to support foreign terrorists.
Investigators claim that the Pahalgam attack reflected an operational model involving Pakistan-based handlers, infiltrated terrorists, and local assistance for shelter, movement, and logistics.
The NIA has described TRF as a proxy of the LeT and alleged that the outfit was used to obscure the role of its Pakistan-based parent organisation.
Operation Mahadev led to the killing of the three alleged Pakistani terrorists named in the original chargesheet. The agency’s investigation has since focused on identifying those who planned, facilitated, and supported the attack.