Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terror outfits as “terrorists” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), according to an official order.
The UAPA empowers the Centre to classify individuals as terrorists if it believes they are involved in terrorist activities. The designation enables agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to freeze assets, block funding channels, restrict arms access and initiate seizure of properties linked to them.
The provision to list individuals as terrorists was introduced through a 2019 amendment to the law, which earlier allowed only organisations to be designated.
With the latest addition, the total number of designated individual terrorists has risen to 80. The list includes operatives allegedly involved in attacks on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
Among those named are Jaish-e-Mohammed-linked individuals 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 list also includes Lashkar-e-Taiba 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 Mohammad Shaheed Faisal, who is also linked to Al Qaeda and ISIS.
(With inputs from PTI)
