Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sharif a traitor for seeking peace with India, says Hafiz Saeed

THE US said today (24) it was "deeply concerned" after Pakistan freed one of the suspected masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai attacks despite months of pressure from Washington over militancy.

The statement came as firebrand cleric Hafiz Saeed, who heads the UN-listed terrorist group Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and has a $10 million US bounty on his head, led prayers and met supporters in Lahore today after his midnight release.


He called Pakistan’s ousted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif a "traitor" today for seeking peace with India.

"Nawaz Sharif asks why he was ousted? I tell him he was ousted, because he committed treason against Pakistan by developing friendship with Modi, killers of thousands of Muslims," Saeed said.

His release from house arrest raised fresh questions as to whether Saeed might enter politics to run a new, unregistered political party founded by his supporters.

While Saeed was under house arrest, his JuD charity launched a political party, the Milli Muslim League (MML), which has won thousands of votes in by-elections.

Senior government and retired military figures say the party has the backing of Pakistan's powerful military. The military denies any direct involvement in civilian politics.

JuD, which has operated freely across Pakistan and is popular for its charity work, is considered by the US and India to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the militant group blamed for the attack on Mumbai.

"LeT is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent civilians in terrorist attacks, including a number of American citizens," US state department spokesman Heather Nauert said.

"The Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes."

The $10 million bounty for Saeed first offered in 2012 still stands, Nauert added.

The court's decision to release Saeed after Islamabad failed to provide evidence against him came after US President Donald Trump in August angrily accused Pakistan of harbouring "agents of chaos" and called for a militant crackdown.

The horror of the Mumbai carnage played out on live television around the world as commandos battled the heavily armed gunmen, who arrived by sea on the evening of November 26, 2008.

It took the authorities three days to regain full control of the city, and the attacks, which killed more than 160 people, nearly brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

Saeed, already designated a global terrorist by the US at the time, was later listed as one by the UN also over his alleged role in the attacks.

India expressed its fury at his freedom yesterday (23), with foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar accusing Pakistan of attempting to "mainstream proscribed terrorists".

New Delhi has long seethed at Pakistan's failure either to hand over or prosecute those accused of planning the attacks, while Islamabad has alleged that India failed to give it crucial evidence.

It is the third time that the cleric has been released by courts after Islamabad briefly detained him twice in the aftermath of the attacks in November 2008.

Saeed for decades has publicly espoused ending India's rule in Kashmir, with India accusing him of sending armed militants to the valley.

India accuses Pakistan of supporting the LeT and other separatists battling in Kashmir. Pakistan denies that.

(Agencies)

More For You

Shabana Mahmood

Newly appointed home secretary Shabana Mahmood arrives at Number 10 at Downing Street as Keir Starmer holds a cabinet reshuffle on September 5, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Shabana Mahmood named home secretary, Lammy deputy to Starmer in major reshuffle

Highlights:

  • David Lammy becomes deputy prime minister while keeping foreign affairs brief
  • Angela Rayner resigned after admitting underpaid property tax
  • Lisa Nandy to stay on as culture secretary
  • Reshuffle marks first major shake-up of Starmer’s government

SHABANA MAHMOOD has been appointed home secretary in a major reshuffle of prime minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet following the resignation of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essex Police

Essex Police said the two men driving the cars, both from Barking in east London, were arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. (Representational image: iStock)

Two Indian students killed, five injured in Essex car crash

TWO students from Telangana, India, have died in a two-car collision at a roundabout in Essex, south-east England. Five other students were seriously injured in the crash, police said.

The accident took place early Monday at the Rayleigh Spur roundabout on the A130. Chaitanya Tarre, 23, died at the scene, while Rishi Teja Rapolu, 21, died later in hospital.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nirmala Sitharaman

India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure would be simplified from four slabs to two, with reductions across several sectors. (Photo: Getty Images)

India cuts consumption taxes, simplifies structure into two slabs

INDIA announced a major cut in consumption taxes on Wednesday, days after the United States imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods.

India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure would be simplified from four slabs to two, with reductions across several sectors. In some cases, levies have been reduced by more than half.

Keep ReadingShow less
Epping protests

The protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping triggered a series of demonstrations across the country during heightened tensions over immigration. (Photo: Getty Images)

Asylum seeker convicted of sex assaults case that led to protests

AN ETHIOPIAN asylum seeker, whose arrest in July led to protests outside a hotel near London where he and other migrants were housed, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman.

The protests outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, about 20 miles (30 km) from London, triggered a series of demonstrations across the country during heightened tensions over immigration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Angela-Rayner-Getty

Rayner, 45, announced she would step down as deputy prime minister, housing minister and deputy leader of the Labour Party. (Photo: Getty Image)

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner resigns after admitting tax mistake

Highlights

  • Rayner steps down after admitting underpaying property tax
  • Resigns as deputy prime minister, housing minister and Labour deputy leader
  • Becomes eighth minister to leave Starmer’s government, and the most senior so far
  • Her departure comes as Labour trails Reform UK in opinion polls

DEPUTY prime minister Angela Rayner resigned on Friday after admitting she had underpaid property tax on a new home. Her resignation is a fresh setback for prime minister Keir Starmer, who had initially stood by her.

Keep ReadingShow less