The U.S. should work with India to capture or kill Hafiz Saeed.
Saeed, the spiritual leader and political front man of Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist organization, was released from house arrest on Thursday.
That’s a problem for a few reasons.
First off, because Saeed was a ringleader of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which took more than 150 innocent lives. With LeT still defined by its pathological hatred for India, Saeed’s release makes new LeT attacks more likely.
And it’s clear that Saeed’s time under house arrest has done nothing but energize him. Speaking after his release, the terrorist pledged to continue “fighting for the freedom of Pakistan and Kashmir” and condemned Pakistan’s former prime minister as having “committed treason” in seeking “friendship with India.”
This is not a guy who is trying to find compromise or serve the cause of peace.
On the contrary, Saeed now intends to lead a new Muslim theocratic political bloc into next year’s parliamentary elections. Although Pakistan’s electoral commission has refused to certify the bloc, Saeed’s populist power should not be understated. Charismatic and determined, if left unchecked in his political party or terrorist activities, Saeed could destabilize the region.
For these reasons, Trump should call Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and offer to work with him to capture or kill Saeed.
While this action risks alienating the Pakistani government and its population, we must recognize the threat that Saeed poses. To galvanize his anti-Indian/anti-American base, there is a real risk Saeed will seek to attack our shared interests.
There’s also a broader strategic consideration here.
After all, if President Trump is truly serious about reducing Pakistan’s double-dealing with terrorists, he cannot close a blind eye to the release of men like Saeed. This concern is especially important in Saeed’s case, in that the terrorist is close to powerful elements of the Pakistani intelligence establishment.
This is a test of U.S. resolve that Trump cannot afford to fail.
