India has sent a request to Pakistan to extradite 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed to India, foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told reporters today.

Hafiz Saeed, 71, was sentenced to 33 years in jail by a Pakistan court after being convicted in two cases of terror financing in April 2022. The case was filed by Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department.

He, however, has continued to evade punishment for involvement in the 26/11 terror strikes.

He has been sentenced in multiple cases of terror financing in the past. In 2020 too, he was sentenced to 15 years in jail.

He has spent years in and out of detention in varying forms in Pakistan, sometimes under house arrest. But he had roamed freely across the country and addressed incendiary speeches targeting India with impunity.

India’s extradition request also comes at a time when a political front backed by the 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind will fight the Pakistan election. Hafiz Saeed’s son and terror group Laskhar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Talha Saeed is one of the candidates.

Hafiz Talha Saeed is considered No. 2 in the LeT, second only to his father. Last year, the Home Ministry declared him a designated terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

For years, the US has offered $10 million as an award for information that could lead to Hafiz Saeed’s arrest. He had been moving around freely in Pakistan as the head of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa or JuD which presents itself as a charitable organisation but is seen as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Vedang Raina who recently made his acting debut with Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies, opened up about his bond with Khushi Kapoor.

In an interview with Times Now, Vedang said, “Khushi and I connected on so many levels. We had a similar taste in music. Khushi and I are not dating. I have a really strong bond with her. We’ve known each other for so long, and we have connected on many things.”

When asked about the qualities he wants in his ideal partner, he said, “I want my life partner to be loyal, sweet, and hard-working.” He further added, “I am single right now. When the time is right, hopefully, that situation changes.”

The Archies is a musical film adapted from the popular Archie comics. The film stars Suhana Khan, Dot, Khushi Kapoor, Vedang Raina, Agastya Nanda, Mihir Ahuja and Yuvraj Menda. It is currently streaming on OTT.

See Also: Vedang Raina to not only make his acting but also singing debut with The Archies 

On December 29th, Neha Dhupia took to her Instagram handle and curated a carousel of images capturing the Christmas festivities at Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif’s family gathering. As she shared the post, Neha wrote, “Our very merry bunch for life.”

The post starts with the cute couples – Neha and Angad Bedi, and Vicky and Kat, happily smiling for the camera. Next, there’s a photo of Vicky giving his mom a sweet kiss on the head, with Angad and Sunny Kaushal wearing Santa caps. After that, there’s a picture of Vicky and Angad showing off their cool Punjabi swag.

Check out the photos here: