The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday designated 23 men, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed’s son-in-law, associated with LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and other outfits, as “terrorists”. With the latest addition, the Centre’s list of designated terrorists now has 80 names.
Who are these 23 Pakistan-based terrorists and what are the allegations against them?
* Abdul Rauf: He is associated with LeT, JuD, and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). A senior leader of Lashkar since 1999, he allegedly operates under Saeed’s direct command. He allegedly works to mobilise funds and public support for Lashkar under the guise of charitable organisations such as FIF and Al-Madina Welfare Trust. The United States has designated him a ‘specially designated global terrorist’.
* Masood Ilyas Kashmiri alias Mufti Masood Ilyas: Allegedly affiliated with JeM and a close confidant of Maulana Masood Azhar and the key coordinator for infiltration into Kashmir. He allegedly orchestrated the attack on a police checkpoint near the PDP office in Sunjwan, Jammu, in April 2022.
* Mohammad Musaddiq alias Doctor: He is allegedly affiliated with JeM and serving as the launching commander for the Lasiyakot sector, facilitating infiltration across the border via tunnels. He was allegedly involved in the reconnaissance of strategic locations such as the Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Ayodhya, the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, and the IOCL refinery in Panipat.
* Mufti Mohammad Asghar Khan alias Abu Saad: Allegedly affiliated with JeM and serving as the JeM ‘Amir’ (chief) and head of its military wing in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He is one of the key conspirators behind the terrorist attack on the Indian Army camp in Nagrota, Jammu. He also runs camps in Muzaffarabad to provide jihadist and military training to terrorists.
* Hafiz Abdul Shakoor: He is allegedly affiliated with JeM and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM). He allegedly facilitated the infiltration of three Pakistani terrorists via the Samba-Kathua sector for the attack on the Nagrota Army camp. He participated in the Afghan war during 1995-96 and coordinated terrorist activities with the assistance of the ISI, as per the Centre. He is also a member of the JeM’s governing council (Shura).
* Abdullah Jihadi: He is allegedly affiliated with JeM and a co-conspirator of Mufti Asgar Khan and facilitates the infiltration of terrorists into the North Kashmir region. He manages several launching camps located in the Kupwara and Baramulla districts, according to the MHA.
* Firdous Ahmad Bhat: An Indian national based in Pakistan, he is allegedly associated with LeT. He allegedly serves as a launching commander for the group, having crossed into Pakistan via the Wagah border in 2018 using valid travel documents. He facilitates safe passage for foreign terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC) and is involved in supplying weapons to overground workers and radicalising the youth of south Kashmir to recruit them into terrorist activities, the Centre has alleged.
* Ghulam Farid alias Gulshan Kumar: He is allegedly affiliated with JeM and also served in the Pakistan Army from 2001 to 2005. In September 2008, he entered India illegally via Bangladesh, but he was later arrested in Jammu in December 2008. He was later deported to Pakistan in July 2019.
* Haroon Rashid Ganai: An Indian residing in Pakistan, he is allegedly affiliated with LeT. He travelled to Pakistan with valid documents in March 2018 and joined LeT. He incites youths from the Kashmir Valley to join terrorist ranks and supplies arms and ammunition for carrying out terrorist activities, as per the Centre.
* Bilal Ahmed Mir: An Indian currently residing in Muzaffarabad, PoK, he is allegedly affiliated with LeT and The Resistance Front (TRF). He is directly involved in managing the illicit supply chain of arms, ammunition, and logistics into the Kashmir Valley, the Centre has claimed.
* Abid Qayoom Lone: An Indian currently residing in PoK, he is allegedly affiliated with LeT. He travelled to Pakistan via the Attari checkpost in February 2020 and did not return. He is allegedly involved in planning attacks on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir and raising funds for LeT.
* Nazir Ahmed Gujjar: An Indian national residing in Islamabad, he is allegedly affiliated with LeT. He crossed the Line of Control into PoK in 2006 and recruits local youths to revive terrorist activities in the Doda and Kishtwar regions, according to the Centre.
* Ashfaq Ahmed: He joined JeM in 2000 and is in charge of ‘Shuaba Hadith’ and the Al-Rehmat Trust (JeM’s charity wing) in Bahawalpur, the Centre has said. He was identified as one of the alleged subscribers of the Pakistani mobile numbers used during the January 2016 attack on the Pathankot Air Force Station.
* Maulana Imdad Ullah Makki: He allegedly serves as the Amir (chief) of Jaish’s prisoners’ wing (Shoba-e-Aseeran) and heads its legal affairs. He is a very close associate of Maulana Masood Azhar and his deputy, Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, as per the Centre. He was allegedly involved in real-time coordination with the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot Airbase in January 2016.
* Maulana Saifullah Khalid: He allegedly serves as the general secretary of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League and previously held the position of president of the Milli Muslim League. He has allegedly headed several wings of Lashkar and JuD, such as the propaganda department and the control and reform wing. In April 2018, the United States designated him as a specially designated global terrorist.
* Mohammad Yaqoob: He currently operates as an LeT operational commander based in Islamabad and coordinates financial and logistical support for other LeT cadres active in the Kashmir Valley to carry out terrorist activities in India, the Centre has alleged.
* Maulana Yusuf Taibi: He is allegedly a key leader within LeT/JuD, currently affiliated with the organisation’s control and reform (Dawat-o-Islah) wing. Currently, he is associated with the Al-Qadsia Islamic Center in Lahore and delivers Friday religious sermons.
* Owais Farooz: An Indian, he travelled to Pakistan via the Wagah border on a valid Indian passport in April 2018 and joined the terrorist ranks of the LeT. In January 2023, his brother, Farzan Feroz, was arrested by the Srinagar Police with 450 grams of heroin and an LeT letterhead.
* Qari Yaqub Sheikh: An alleged central leader of JuD and a member of its central Dawati team (proselytisation team), he contested the 2018 Pakistani general election as a Milli Muslim League candidate. He allegedly played a prominent role in missions to raise funds for Lashkar and JuD in Saudi Arabia. In August 2012, the United States designated him as a global terrorist.
* Rana Iftikhar: An alleged close associate of Hafiz Saeed, he serves as the key manager of finances for the organisation’s Kashmir operations. He allegedly heads ‘Shoba-e-Aseeran,’ the wing responsible for the welfare of the families of terrorists who have been killed or are imprisoned in Indian jails. He was arrested in 1993 after being wounded during an encounter in the Mendhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir and was in an Indian prison until 2004.
* Wasim Noor Jat: He is allegedly a JeM launching commander, responsible for operations in the Kotli area. During 2021-22, he was involved in activities related to dropping weapons and ammunition into Indian territory via drones, as per the Centre. He was previously arrested by security forces in October 2008 and was jailed at Kot Bhalwal Central Jail, Jammu, from 2012 to 2015. Following his release, he was deported to Pakistan.
* Mohammad Shahid Faisal: An Indian, he is allegedly the handler behind the 2012 Bengaluru LeT conspiracy case and the 2013 Nanded LeT case, which involved plots for the targeted killings of right-wing politicians and journalists. He fled to Pakistan in 2013 with the assistance of terrorist Farhatullah Ghori, the Centre has said. A probe allegedly revealed his involvement as an online handler in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case in 2024, the Mangaluru cooker blast, and the Al-Hind ISIS module case.
The Centre's list of 23 designated terrorists includes Mufti Mohammad Asghar Khan and Hafiz Abdul Shakoor, two men allegedly linked to the 2016 terrorist attack on the Indian Army camp in Nagrota, Jammu. (File Photo)
Share
