A video featuring Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba and head of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, is doing the rounds on social media. The video has been linked to the rising tensions between India and Pakistan, claiming that Hafiz Saeed has resurfaced and once again making statements regarding Kashmir.
The post’s caption loosely translates as: “So here it is, the rat has come out of its hole, and this time, the pain in its speech is clearly visible…”
In the video, Hafiz Saeed is heard saying, “Modi remains firm, and Trump is supporting him. The Pakistani government has its own constraints. But if they believe that placing us under house arrest and imposing restrictions will push the Kashmir issue into the background, they are mistaken. This movement will persist until Kashmir attains freedom.”
Similar posts can be seen here, here and here. (Archive link)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral claim and found it to be false.
Upon close analysis of the viral video, the NM team noticed the Associated Press logo at the top right corner. Additionally, performing a Reverse Image Search, the NM team detected the original and extended version of the video, uploaded on the AP Archive YouTube channel, dated February 5, 2017.
The viral clip appears at the 0:19-second mark in a video, titled “Pakistan charity leader under house arrest”. As per the video description, Pakistani authorities had placed Hafiz Saeed, the head of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (considered a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks), under house arrest along with four aides.
Since this video dates back over seven years, it is evident that it has no connection to the current tensions between India and Pakistan. Furthermore, had it been a recent interview, it would have been widely reported by the mainstream media outlets.
To further verify, we looked into official records and found that as per the United Nations Security Council, Hafiz Saeed has been in the custody of the Government of Pakistan since February 12, 2020, serving a 78-year sentence following his conviction in seven terror financing cases.
Therefore, it is clear that the viral video is old and unrelated to the current situation between India and Pakistan.
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