UAPA: Home Ministry Declares 23 Pakistan-Based Individuals Terrorists In Fresh Notification

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has designated 23 Pakistan-based individuals as terrorists under Section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), marking one of the largest additions to the government's list of individually designated terrorists since the law was amended in 2019. The notification, issued on Saturday, takes the total number of individuals notified as terrorists under the amended UAPA to 80.

According to the MHA, the 23 individuals are affiliated with banned terrorist organisations, including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, The Resistance Front and Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation. The ministry said all 23 are currently operating from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Of them, 17 are Pakistani nationals and six are Indian nationals.

The Home Ministry stated that the individuals have allegedly been involved in planning and executing terrorist attacks, recruiting and radicalising youth, facilitating cross-border infiltration, trafficking arms, raising funds and providing logistical support to terrorist networks targeting India. The latest notification is part of the Centre's broader strategy of identifying and sanctioning individuals accused of involvement in terrorism, in addition to proscribing organisations.

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Among those designated is Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, whom the MHA described as a senior JeM functionary based in Rawalkot in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to the ministry, he has been involved in recruiting and training terrorists, facilitating infiltration into India and has been linked to the April 2022 terrorist attack on security forces in Sunjwan, Jammu. Another individual, Firdous Ahmad Bhat, an Indian national allegedly associated with LeT and currently based in Pakistan, has been accused of facilitating the infiltration of foreign terrorists across the Line of Control and recruiting youth from south Kashmir after crossing into Pakistan in 2018.

The notification also includes Abdul Rauf, also known as Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a senior LeT leader whom the MHA alleges has been active since 1999. According to the ministry, he has worked under LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and played a key role in mobilising international funding for the outfit through organisations such as the Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation and the Al-Madina Welfare Trust. The MHA noted that Abdul Rauf has also been designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States.

Another individual named in the notification is Mohammad Shahid Faisal, also known by aliases including Ustad, Muhandis and Zakir. Originally from India and now based in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, the MHA alleges that Faisal has links with LeT, Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The ministry described him as the alleged mastermind behind the 2012 Bengaluru LeT conspiracy case and the 2013 Nanded conspiracy. Investigators have also linked him to the 2024 Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, the Mangaluru cooker blast and the Al-Hind ISIS module case. According to the MHA, he has recruited and radicalised individuals through social media platforms, YouTube channels and encrypted messaging applications.

Following the notification, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government remained committed to its policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism. In a post on X, Shah said the 23 individuals were involved in anti-India activities, carrying out terror attacks, inciting violence, trafficking arms, facilitating infiltration, supporting terrorist organisations, raising funds and recruiting terrorists. He said the action reflected the government's continued efforts to strengthen India's counter-terrorism framework and target individuals accused of supporting or directing terrorist operations against the country.

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