India Designates 23 Pakistan-Based Terror Operatives Under UAPA, Total List Rises to 80

The Union Home Ministry on Saturday designated 23 Pakistan-based individuals linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other terror outfits as “designated terrorists” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) , further strengthening India’s counterterrorism framework.

The move has been taken under provisions of the UAPA, 1967 , which empowers the Centre to list individuals as terrorists if it has credible information or belief regarding their involvement in terrorist activities . The law was expanded through a 2019 amendment that first allowed individuals to be designated as terrorists, whereas earlier only organisations could be proscribed.

Once listed, designated individuals are subject to restrictions including freezing of assets , financial sanctions , arms embargoes , and seizure of property. Agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) can also initiate coordinated domestic and international measures to disrupt their networks and funding channels.

With the latest notification, the total number of individuals designated as terrorists under the UAPA has risen to 80 .

According to the Home Ministry, the newly listed individuals include operatives of JeM such as Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, Mohammad Mussadiq alias Doctor, Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan alias Abu Saad, Hafiz Abdul Shakoor alias Qari Zarrar, Abdullah Jehadi, Ghulam Fareed, Maulana Imdad Ullah Makki and Waseem Noor Jat .

From Lashkar-e-Taiba , those designated include Firdous Ahmad Bhat, Haroon Rashid Ganai, Bilal Ahmad Mir, Abid Quyoom Lone, Nazir Ahmed Gujjar, Abdul Rauf (alias Hafiz Abdul Rauf), Ashfaq Ahmad, Hafiz Khalid Waleed, Maulana Saifullah Khalid, Mohammad Yaqoob, Maulana Yousaf Taibi, Owais Farooz, Qari Yaqub Sheikh, and Rana Iftikhar. One individual, Mohammed Shaheed Faisal , is also reported to have links with Al Qaeda and ISIS .

Officials said several of those named were involved in attacks on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir . The latest action underscores a shift in India’s counterterrorism policy towards directly targeting individuals in addition to organisations, aiming to tighten financial and operational pressure on cross-border terror networks.