Hizbul Mujahideen chief, IM's Bhatkal brothers among 18 designated 'terrorists'

The government designated 18 Pakistan-based individuals as 'terrorists' under the anti-terrorism law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, on Tuesday. The list comprised most wanted terrorists including those involved in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, 26/11 Mumbai attacks, IC 814 hijacking, Pathankot airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing.

This was the third batch of terrorists designated under the law, which was amended in August 2019 to include a provision for designating individuals, and not just groups, as terrorists. The move came on a day when the US secretary of state Michael Pompeo was on an official visit to India.

Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder Hafiz Saeed, LeT commander Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim were the first to be designated last year under this law. Both Saeed and Azhar have been designated as ‘global terrorists’ by the United States, United Nations and European Union.


In July, the Union home ministry had designated another nine individuals associated with the Khalistan separatist movement driven by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). A Union home ministry statement said the government had reinforced its commitment to strengthen national security and its policy of zero tolerance to terrorism by issuing the fresh list of 18 designated terrorists.

Those designated as terrorists also included Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Syed Salahuddin, founders of Indian Mujahideen Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal and gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s close aide Chhota Shakeel, key 26/11 conspirators Sajid Mir and Yusuf Muzammil alias Muzammil Butt; IC 814 case accused and JeM leaders Ibrahim Athar and Yusuf Azhar; JeM chief Masood Azhar’s brother Rauf Asghar, who was a key conspirator in the 2001 Parliament attack, Pathankot airbase attack and the Pulwama CRPF convoy attack cases.