The government today declared 18 more Pakistan-based individuals as terrorists under the amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, for their terror activities against India.
The individuals include those involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the 2001 attack on Parliament, and the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane. Till its amendment in 2019, the UAPA provided for declaring only organisations as terrorist organisations.
The amended law allows declaration of individuals as terrorists, and thereby enables the government to be specific about them in raising issues.
The 18 named included top LeT leaders Sajid Mir and Yusuf Muzammil, accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack; Abdur Rehman Makki, head of LeT political affairs; Shahid Mehmood, deputy chief of an LeT frontal organisation, Farhatullah Ghori, involved in the Akshardham Temple attack (2002),
Abdul Rauf Asghar, accused in the attack on Parliament in 2001, Ibrahim Athar and Yusuf Azhar, accused in the Kandahar hijacking case, top JeM leader Shahid Latif; Hizb-ul-Mujahideen leaders Syed Mohammad Yusuf Shah and Ghulam Nabi Khan; Riyaz Ismail Shahbandri and Md. Iqbal, who set up the Indian Mujahideen, and terror financer Zaffar Hussain Bhat.
Dawood Ibrahim associate Shaikh Shakeel, and Mohammad Anis Shaikh, Ibrahim Memon alias Tiger Memon and Javed Chikna, accused of involvement in the 1993 Bombay blast cases, are also on the list.