Srinagar, July 4: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has designated 23 Pakistan-based operatives associated with terror outfits, including Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as individual terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), citing their direct involvement in terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
The designated individuals, as per three separate notifications issued by the Centre, were involved in a host of anti-national activities, including recruitment of youth, cross-border infiltration, terror financing, arms smuggling, and providing logistical support for terror attacks in India.
Of the 23 designated operatives, 11 are natives of Jammu and Kashmir, while the remaining are Pakistani nationals. Seven of the J&K natives are currently based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and four are residing in Pakistan, according to the MHA.
The seven J&K natives based in PoK have been identified as Masood Ilyas Kashmiri (Rawalakot), Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan (Abbaspur), Hafiz Abdul Shakoor (Kotli), Abdullah Jehadi (Kundalshahi, Neelum), Ghulam Fareed (Bading, Bimber), Bilal Ahmad Mir of Sopore (Muzaffarabad) and Abid Qayoom Lone of Baramulla (PoK). The four J&K natives currently residing in Pakistan are Haroon Rashid Ganai of Anantnag, Nazir Ahmed Gujjar of Doda, Owais Farooz Mir of Pulwama and Mohammed Shaheed Faisal, originally from Bengaluru, who is now based in Rawalpindi, the notifications said.
The latest additions take the total number of individuals designated as terrorists under the UAPA to 80. The provision to declare individuals as terrorists was introduced through an amendment to the law in August 2019. Earlier, only organisations could be designated as terrorist entities.
Among those named are three senior Jaish-e-Mohammad functionaries with a direct connection to attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, a senior JeM operative based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, has been designated for his alleged role in recruiting militants, providing training and facilitating infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir. The MHA said he was also involved in the April 22, 2022, terror attack on security forces at Sunjwan in Jammu.
Another JeM leader, Mohammad Mussadiq alias Doctor, has been identified as a key handler responsible for infiltrating Pakistani terrorists into India. According to the MHA, he allegedly coordinated drone deliveries of arms and ammunition across the border, planned terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and managed JeM’s cyber network used to radicalise and recruit youth through social media. He has also been linked to the 2022 Sunjwan attack.
The ministry has also designated Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan alias Abu Saad, describing him as a launching commander for JeM terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir. He has been accused of masterminding the November 2016 attack on the Indian Army camp at Nagrota in Jammu.
The list also includes several senior Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders and close associates of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed. These include Abdul Rauf, Hafiz Khalid Waleed and Rana Iftikhar, who are accused of coordinating terrorist activities, recruiting operatives and motivating youth to join militant ranks.
The designation under the UAPA enables security agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), to freeze the assets of the listed individuals, impose restrictions on their financial transactions and strengthen legal action against them.
The MHA said the action is aimed at disrupting cross-border terror networks and holding key Pakistan-based handlers accountable for their role in orchestrating violence, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir.
