Hafiz Saeed Sent 10,000 Terrorists To Kashmir, Claims Pakistani Cleric; 'He Is Still Silent'

News world Hafiz Saeed Sent 10,000 Terrorists To Kashmir, Claims Pakistani Cleric; 'He Is Still Silent'

Hafiz Saeed Sent 10,000 Terrorists To Kashmir, Claims Pakistani Cleric; 'He Is Still Silent'

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Last Updated: August 19, 2026, 06:58 IST

Pakistani cleric Naseer Madni claims Hafiz Saeed sent 10,000 terrorists to Kashmir. The remarks came amid NIA proceedings against Saeed in the Pahalgam terror case.

Pakistani cleric Naseer Madni claimed Hafiz Saeed sent 10,000 terrorists to Kashmir during an August 14 speech. (Photo: PTI)

Pakistani cleric Naseer Madni has claimed that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed sent 10,000 terrorists to Kashmir, making the startling assertion while praising the jailed Pakistan-based terror chief.

Madni made the remarks on August 14 while addressing a gathering in Bahawalnagar linked to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to multiple media reports.

Madni, who had reportedly suffered a serious cardiac episode while delivering a Friday sermon earlier this month, had returned to the public stage when he spoke about Saeed, NDTV reported.

‘He Offered 10,000 Children For Kashmir’

While speaking about Saeed, Madni portrayed him as someone who had made a sacrifice for Kashmir and questioned his imprisonment.

“Today, he is in jail. But he must be the first prisoner of Pakistan," Madni said.

ALSO READ | Trial In Absentia In 26/11: How India Can Try Hafiz Saeed, Lakhvi Without Bringing Them To Court

He then claimed that Saeed had offered 10,000 people for Kashmir in the name of what he described as his motherland.

“Just because he offered 10,000 children for Kashmir, for the sacrifice of motherland," Madni said.

The cleric also sought to portray Saeed as someone who had not committed ordinary crimes, contrasting his alleged militant activities with acts such as damaging shops or cutting trees.

“He did not drive a rickshaw. He did not cut a tree. He did not break the shutter of someone’s shop," Madni said.

He further claimed that there were numerous “commando boys" but suggested that they had not even harmed the country’s “bird".

Madni’s remarks effectively presented Saeed’s alleged mobilisation of militants for Kashmir as a form of sacrifice, despite Saeed being the founder of LeT, a Pakistan-based organisation designated as a terrorist group.

Hafiz Saeed Named In Pahalgam Terror Case

The remarks come weeks after Indian investigators intensified legal proceedings against Saeed in connection with the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed.

On July 6, the National Investigation Agency filed a supplementary chargesheet naming Saeed in the case.

ALSO READ | NIA To Seek Proclaimed Offender Status For Hafiz Saeed, Pursue In-Absentia Trial | Exclusive

According to the NIA, he was charged both in his individual capacity and as the chief and founder of LeT and its active proxy organisation, The Resistance Front (TRF).

Two days later, on July 8, a Special NIA Court in Jammu issued an open-dated non-bailable warrant against Saeed.

The same month, the court considered his arrest and custodial interrogation necessary for a “fair, complete and effective investigation".

The NIA had told the court that Saeed, a resident of Sargodha in Pakistan’s Punjab province, was deliberately evading arrest.

The court consequently directed that the warrant be forwarded to the Deputy Inspector General of the NIA in Jammu for execution.

Hafiz Saeed’s Long-Standing Terror Links

Saeed has long been associated with LeT, which has been accused by Indian authorities of involvement in several terror attacks in India, including the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The latest claim by Madni therefore comes at a time when Saeed is once again at the centre of an Indian terror investigation.

ALSO READ | Former Pak Minister Calls Himself Hafiz Saeed’s ‘Servant’, Threatens To ‘Obliterate’ India

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Key Questions Answered Powered by Ask News18 What is the current status of Hafiz Saeed's legal proceedings? A Jammu court issued a non-bailable warrant against Hafiz Saeed in July 2026 in connection with the Pahalgam terror case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) plans to declare him a proclaimed offender and pursue an in-absentia trial. This will be the first time a terror case will be tried in absentia in India under the new Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023. How does Pakistan respond to these terrorism allegations? Pakistan has publicly defended Hafiz Saeed, rejecting India's investigations and chargesheets against him in terror cases, including the Pahalgam attack. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed India's findings and questioned the chargesheets. Additionally, India has stated that Pakistan has "zero credibility" regarding cross-border terrorism and has rejected Pakistan's own "terror sponsor" allegations as baseless. Could this impact India-Pakistan relations further? The claim by a Pakistani cleric about Hafiz Saeed sending 10,000 terrorists to Kashmir could further impact India-Pakistan relations. Tensions between the two countries are already strained due to issues like Kashmir and cross-border terrorism. Powered by Ask News18

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has more than 10 years of experience in national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: August 19, 2026, 06:48 IST

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