Hafiz Bhuttavi, a key conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and a founding member of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, has died in Pakistani custody, according to the United Nations (UN) Security Council. The UN confirmed that Bhuttavi, who was serving a jail sentence in Pakistan, died of cardiac arrest on May 29 in the Murdike city in Punjab Province.
Born in 1940, Bhuttavi was the deputy of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafeez Saeed and played a crucial role in the group’s operational and fundraising activities. The UN described Bhuttavi as a preeminent scholar who instructed leaders and members of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat-ud-Dawa and issued fatwas sanctioning their operations. He was responsible for their network of madrasas and had helped establish the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s administrative base in Lahore in 2002.
It is reported that Bhuttavi had delivered lectures on the merits of martyrdom operations, assisting in the preparation of operatives for the Mumbai attacks that took place on November 26, 2008, which resulted in the deaths of at least 150 people.
The Lashkar-e-Taiba affiliated organizations had last year released a video purportedly showing Bhuttavi’s funeral at their center in Murdike.
Bhuttavi was designated as a terrorist by the UN Security Council in 2012 for his association with Al-Qaeda and his involvement in supporting Lashkar-e-Taiba’s activities. The UN has also confirmed that Hafeez Saeed, who is wanted in India, is currently serving a 78-year prison sentence in Pakistan for his conviction in seven terror financing cases in 2019.
India had requested the extradition of Saeed to face trial for his involvement in multiple cases, but the Pakistani government has yet to comply with the request.
The death of Hafiz Bhuttavi, a significant figure in Lashkar-e-Taiba, marks a development in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. While Pakistan continues to face pressure from India regarding the extradition of Hafeez Saeed, the confirmation of Bhuttavi’s demise by the UN Security Council sheds light on the country’s efforts to combat terrorism and dismantle militant networks within its borders. The repercussions of Bhuttavi’s death and the current status of Saeed remain a significant point of contention between India and Pakistan in their ongoing battle against terrorism.
