The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday designated 23 Pakistan-based individuals linked to terrorist organisations, including Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and other extremist groups, as “designated terrorists” under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, according to an official government order.
The UAPA empowers the Central Government to notify an individual as a designated terrorist if it is satisfied that the person is involved in terrorist activities. The inclusion of an individual’s name in the designated terrorist list enables investigative agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA), to take action such as freezing financial assets, imposing restrictions on arms-related transactions, and initiating the seizure of properties linked to the individual.
The provision to designate individuals as terrorists was introduced through an amendment to the anti-terror law in 2019. Prior to this amendment, only organisations could be notified as terrorist entities under the UAPA.
With the latest notification, 23 Pakistan-based individuals, including those allegedly involved in attacks on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, have been added to the designated terrorist list. This takes the total number of individuals notified as designated terrorists under the UAPA to 80.
Among those designated are Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) operatives Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, Mohammad Mussadiq alias Doctor, Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan alias Abu Saad, Hafiz Abdul Shakoor alias Qari Zarrar, Abdullah Jehadi, Ghulam Fareed, Maulana Imdad Ullah Makki, and Waseem Noor Jat.
The notification also includes Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives Firdous Ahmad Bhat, Haroon Rashid Ganai, Bilal Ahmad Mir, Abid Quyoom Lone, Nazir Ahmed Gujjar, Abdul Rauf alias Hafiz Abdul Rauf, Ashfaq Ahmad, Hafiz Khalid Waleed, Maulana Saifullah Khalid, Mohammad Yaqoob, Maulana Yousaf Taibi, Owais Farooz, Qari Yaqub Sheikh, Rana Iftikhar, and Mohammed Shaheed Faisal, who has also been linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS, according to the government order.
The latest move is part of the Centre’s continuing efforts to strengthen the legal framework against terrorism by identifying and targeting individuals allegedly involved in terror-related activities, alongside proscribed organisations, under the provisions of the UAPA.
