Kashmir Impulse Desk

New Delhi, July 4

India on Saturday designated 23 alleged operatives linked to Pakistan-based militant organisations as individual terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), expanding a list that the government said is aimed at disrupting cross-border militant networks, financing and recruitment.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the newly designated individuals include 17 Pakistani nationals and six Indian nationals who are currently operating from Pakistan or Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The government alleged they were involved in planning and facilitating attacks, recruiting militants, financing terrorist activities, smuggling arms and ammunition, and assisting infiltration across the Line of Control (LoC).

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the action reflected the Narendra Modi government’s “zero tolerance” policy towards terrorism and was intended to dismantle militant infrastructure operating against India.

“Pursuing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of zero tolerance against terror, the MHA today declared 23 dreaded terror functionaries affiliated with banned organisations as terrorists under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,” Shah said in a post on social media platform X.

He said the designated individuals were allegedly involved in anti-India activities, carrying out terror attacks, inciting violence, trafficking arms, facilitating infiltration, raising funds and recruiting militants.

Shah said formally listing them as terrorists would strengthen the ability of security and law enforcement agencies to initiate coordinated legal, investigative and preventive action while restricting their financial networks, movement and recruitment capabilities.

The designations were made under Section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which empowers the Central Government to notify individuals as terrorists by including their names in the Fourth Schedule of the law.

The provision was introduced through amendments to the UAPA in 2019, enabling the government to designate individuals, in addition to organisations, as terrorists.

With the latest notification, the total number of individuals designated under the law has risen to 80, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The ministry alleged that the newly designated individuals are affiliated with organisations including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), The Resistance Front (TRF), Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS).

Among those designated is Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, whom the ministry described as a senior Jaish-e-Mohammed functionary and close associate of the group’s founder Masood Azhar. Authorities alleged he coordinated infiltration into Kashmir, recruited youth through social media and arranged financing for militant activities.

The government also named Muhammad Musaddiq, another alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed operative, accusing him of facilitating cross-border infiltration through tunnels and organising the movement of arms and ammunition into India using drones.

Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan, described by the ministry as a senior Jaish commander based in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, was accused of overseeing militant training camps and conspiring in attacks on Indian security installations.

Several alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives originating from Jammu and Kashmir but now based in Pakistan or Pakistan-administered Kashmir were also included in the notification.

These include Firdous Ahmad Bhat, Haroon Rashid Ganai, Bilal Ahmad Mir, Abid Qayoom Lone, Nazir Ahmad Gujjar and Owais Farooz, all of whom the government accused of facilitating infiltration, recruiting local youth, supplying arms to militant networks and coordinating militant activities from across the border.

The ministry further designated senior Pakistani nationals including Abdul Rauf, Hafiz Khalid Waleed, Maulana Imdad Ullah Makki, Maulana Saifullah Khalid, Muhammad Yaqoob, Maulana Yusuf Taibi, Qari Yaqub Sheikh, Rana Iftikhar and Wasim Noor Jat, alleging they held leadership positions within Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed or their affiliated organisations.

According to the ministry, several of the designated individuals have also been accused of fundraising through charitable organisations, coordinating logistics for attacks, facilitating drone-based weapons deliveries and providing operational guidance to militant groups active in Jammu and Kashmir.

The government alleged that some of those listed had also been involved in high-profile attacks, including the 2016 Pathankot Air Force Station attack, the Nagrota Army camp attack and other cases investigated by Indian security agencies.

The ministry also designated Muhammad Shahid Faisal, whom it described as a Pakistani national of Indian origin allegedly associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba, Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Authorities accused him of acting as an online handler in several terror investigations, including the 2024 Rameswaram Cafe blast case, and of recruiting youth through extremist content disseminated on social media platforms.

India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of providing safe havens to militant groups targeting Indian territory, allegations Islamabad denies. Pakistan maintains that it offers only diplomatic and political support to the Kashmir cause and rejects accusations of sponsoring cross-border terrorism.

The latest designations come as New Delhi continues to expand legal measures aimed at disrupting militant financing, cross-border logistics and recruitment networks, while increasing pressure on individuals whom authorities allege play operational or leadership roles in organisations banned under Indian law.