Terrorism – MHA Adds 23 Pakistan-Based Operatives to UAPA Terror List
Terrorism – India’s counter-terror framework expanded on Saturday after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs named 23 people associated with Pakistan-based militant groups as individual terrorists under Section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The latest notification takes the number of people designated as terrorists under the amended UAPA to 80. The law was revised in 2019 to allow the government to designate individuals as terrorists, alongside organisations already banned under the legislation.
MHA identifies nationals operating from Pakistan and PoJK
The ministry said 17 of the newly listed individuals are Pakistani nationals, while six are Indian nationals. According to the notification, all 23 are currently operating from Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials said the individuals have links with several proscribed organisations, including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, The Resistance Front and the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation.
Allegations include recruitment, funding and infiltration support
The MHA alleged that those named in the notification played roles in planning attacks, encouraging violence, recruiting young people, arranging weapons, raising funds and assisting infiltration across the border. The ministry also accused them of supporting wider terror infrastructure directed against India.
The notification includes Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, Mohammad Musadiq, Mufti Mohammad Asghar Khan, Hafiz Abdul Shakoor, Abdullah Jihadi, Firdous Ahmad Bhat, Ghulam Farid, Abid Qayoom Lone, Haroon Rashid Ganai, Bilal Ahmed Mir and Nazir Ahmed Gujjar.
Others named are Abdul Rauf, Ashfaq Ahmed, Hafiz Khalid Walid, Maulana Imdad Ullah Makki, Maulana Saifullah Khalid, Mohammad Yaqoob, Maulana Yusuf Taibi, Owais Farooz, Qari Yaqub Sheikh, Rana Iftikhar, Wasim Noor Jat and Mohammad Shahid Faisal.
Amit Shah reiterates government’s anti-terror policy
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government would continue its policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism. In a post on X, he said the individuals were involved in activities such as attacks, recruitment, arms trafficking, border infiltration, fundraising and support for terrorist organisations.
The ministry said Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, described as a senior Jaish-e-Mohammed operative based in Rawalkot in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, has allegedly helped recruit and train militants. He has also been accused of facilitating their movement into India and was linked by the MHA to the April 2022 attack on security personnel in Sunjwan, Jammu.
Specific cases cited in official notification
Firdous Ahmad Bhat, an Indian national linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, is currently based in Pakistan, according to the ministry. The MHA alleged that he assisted foreign militants in crossing the Line of Control and helped arrange weapons and recruit people in south Kashmir after travelling to Pakistan through the Wagah border in 2018.
Abdul Rauf, also known as Hafiz Abdul Rauf, was identified as a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba leader active since 1999. The MHA alleged that he helped secure overseas funding through organisations including the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and Al-Madina Welfare Trust. The United States has previously listed him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
Mohammad Shahid Faisal, also known by the aliases Ustad, Muhandis and Zakir, was also included in the list. Originally from India and now based in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, he has alleged links with Lashkar-e-Taiba, Al-Qaeda and ISIS, the ministry said.
The MHA described Faisal as a key figure in the 2012 Bengaluru Lashkar-e-Taiba conspiracy case and the 2013 Nanded conspiracy. It also linked him to the 2024 Rameshwaram Cafe blast investigation, the Mangaluru cooker blast and the Al-Hind ISIS module case. Officials alleged that he used social media, video platforms and encrypted messaging services to recruit and radicalise young people.