Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed killed in Jhelum, Pakistan: Reports

New Delhi: Unverified reports claimed on Saturday that Hafiz Saeed, the designated terrorist and co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), may have been killed in an attack in Jhelum, Punjab.

According to local media outlets, including ARY News and photonews.com.pk, as well as social media posts, the alleged incident involved unknown gunmen killing Saeed and his accomplice, Faisal Nadeem (alias Abu Qatal), in what some sources described as a targeted strike near Mangla Bypass in Jhelum. 

Senior journalist Raja Muneeb took to X to narrate the incidence.

🚨🚨🚨⚡️⚡️⚡️ India's most wanted terrorist Jamaat u Dawa and LET chief Hafiz Saeed along with his accomplice Faisal Nadeem alias Abu Qataal has reportedly been killed by unknown gunmen in Jhelum town of Punjab in #Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/g7kYx81j3Q

— Raja Muneeb (@RajaMuneeb) March 15, 2025

However, no official statement from Pakistani law enforcement, military, or government officials has verified these claims or provided details about the nature of the alleged attack on Saeed or confirmed his presence in Jhelum.

Hafiz Saeed, designated a global terrorist by the United Nations and the United States, is known for his role in founding LeT in the late 1980s and his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 people. 

He has been under house arrest in Lahore since 2019, serving a 78-year sentence for terror financing, though he has occasionally been seen moving freely following legal rulings.

Local police in Jhelum have increased patrols in the region, but no official statement has addressed the rumors surrounding Saeed’s status.

The alleged incident also follows a pattern of targeted killings in the country, such as the 2023 assassination of Muhammad Riaz, a terrorist linked to Jamaat-ud-Dawa, in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. 

The U.S. State Department, which has placed a $10 million bounty on Saeed, and the United Nations have yet to comment on the unconfirmed reports.