India designates 23 Pakistan-linked Jaish, Lashkar operatives as terrorists

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday formally designated 23 operatives of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The notification cites their involvement in terror recruitment, infiltration, training, arms supply via drones, and planning of attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

Among those named are three close associates of LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed: Abdul Rauf, Hafiz Khalid Waleed, and Rana Iftikhar. The notification states that Rana Iftikhar coordinates among anti-Jihadi organisations and motivates youths for terrorist activities. Abdul Rauf, also linked to Jamaat-ud-Dawa, is involved in planning and fundraising under Saeed's command. Hafiz Khalid Waleed is described as the mastermind of several terrorist incidents.

Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, a senior JeM functionary residing in Rawalkot in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, was designated for recruiting youths, imparting training, and facilitating infiltration. He is also linked to the April 2022 attack on security forces at Sunjwan. Mohammad Mussadiq, another JeM handler, was designated for supplying arms via drones and handling cyber recruitment. Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan and Hafiz Abdul Shakoor were linked to the 2016 Nagrota Army camp attack, while Abdullah Jehadi was also named for involvement in the same attack.

Other designated individuals include Firdous Ahmad Bhat, Ghulam Fareed, Haroon Rashid Ganai, and Mohammed Shaheed Faisal, who are accused of managing safe passage, providing arms, recruiting youths, and fundraising through social media. The move comes as security agencies continue to track cross-border terror networks using drones, encrypted communication, and online recruitment channels.