Srinagar, July 4 (JKNS): The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has designated 23 operatives linked to Pakistan-based terror outfits as individual terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), citing their alleged involvement in recruitment, infiltration, terror financing, drone-based arms smuggling, logistics, and planning of major terror attacks in India, including the 2016 Nagrota Army camp attack and the 2022 Sunjwan attack in Jammu.
The notifications, issued on July 4 under Section 35 of the UAPA, a copy of which lies with news agency JKNS, add the names of the 23 individuals to the Fourth Schedule of the Act, increasing the total number of designated individual terrorists from 57 to 80.
According to the official Gazette notifications, the Centre designated operatives associated with banned organisations including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), The Resistance Front (TRF) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).
Among those declared terrorists are 11 individuals originally belonging to Jammu and Kashmir, while the remaining are Pakistan-based operatives.
The government said the designated individuals have been involved in recruiting youth into terrorist ranks, facilitating infiltration, coordinating terror attacks, supplying arms and ammunition through drones, handling terror finances, managing logistics, and providing operational support to militants active in Jammu and Kashmir.
The J&K-origin individuals designated include Masood Ilyas Kashmiri of Rawalkot (PoJK), Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan of Abbaspur (PoJK), Hafiz Abdul Shakoor of Kotli (PoJK), Abdullah Jehadi of Neelum Valley (PoJK), Ghulam Fareed of Bimber (PoJK), Bilal Ahmad Mir of Sopore, Abid Qayoom Lone of Baramulla, Haroon Rashid Ganai of Anantnag, Nazir Ahmed Gujjar of Doda, Owais Farooz Mir of Pulwama and Mohammed Shaheed Faisal, originally from Bengaluru but presently based in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
The MHA said several of the designated JeM operatives were directly linked to the November 29, 2016 Nagrota Army Camp attack and the April 22, 2022 Sunjwan attack, while others have been involved in launching terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, managing training camps, facilitating cross-border infiltration, coordinating logistics and financing terror operations.
The notifications identify Masood Ilyas Kashmiri as a senior JeM functionary responsible for recruitment, training and infiltration of terrorists into India and for involvement in the Sunjwan attack. Mohammad Mussadiq has been described as one of JeM’s principal handlers for infiltration, drone-based arms supply and cyber recruitment through social media.
Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan, Hafiz Abdul Shakoor and Abdullah Jehadi have been identified as launching commanders of JeM, allegedly responsible for providing training, funds, logistics and facilitating infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir.
The MHA also named Firdous Ahmad Bhat, Haroon Rashid Ganai, Bilal Ahmad Mir, Abid Qayoom Lone and Nazir Ahmed Gujjar as LeT operatives involved in supplying arms, managing infiltration routes, raising funds, coordinating terrorist logistics and motivating youth to join terrorist organisations.
Pakistan-based operatives Abdul Rauf, Hafiz Khalid Waleed, Maulana Saifullah Khalid, Mohammad Yaqoob, Molana Yousaf Taibi and Qari Yaqub Sheikh have been accused of coordinating anti-India terrorist activities, collecting funds, providing logistical support and working closely with Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.
Jaish-e-Mohammed leaders Ashfaq Ahmad, Maulana Imdad Ullah Makki and Waseem Noor Jat have also been designated for allegedly coordinating terrorist operations, providing technical assistance, delivering drones carrying weapons and ammunition and planning multiple terror attacks.
The MHA further stated that Mohammed Shaheed Faisal has links with Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Al-Qaeda and ISIS modules. He has been accused of recruiting youth through social media, arranging weapons training in Pakistan, raising funds, imparting training in encrypted communication and fake identities, and facilitating delivery of arms and ammunition for terrorist activities.
The Centre said the designations were made after it concluded that the individuals were actively involved in terrorism and that their inclusion in the Fourth Schedule of the UAPA was necessary in the interest of national security and counter-terrorism efforts. (JKNS)
