India on Wednesday declared Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, LeT's supreme commander of operations in Kashmir Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, all based in Pakistan, as terrorists under the amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The declaration, made through a gazette notification issued on Wednesday, comes nearly a month after the Parliament approved a crucial amendment to the UAPA law.
According to the amendment, individuals could also be declared as terrorists. Earlier, only groups or organisations could be declared as terrorists.
The notification was issued based on clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act which empowers the Central government to notify the name of an individual in the fourth schedule to the Act, if it believes that the individual is involved in terrorism.
The Central government believes that Saeed, Azhar, Lakhvi and Dawood are involved in terrorism and are to be notified as terrorists under the UAPA, said the notification.
"Maulana Masood Azhar alias Maulana Mohammad Masood Azhar Alvi alias Vali Adam Issa, having date of birth on July 10, 1968, son of Allah Baksh Sabir, is founder, chief and key leader of proscribed terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad, which is listed as a terrorist organisation under the First Schedule to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
"Azhar has been designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 on May 1 this year and was declared as a proclaimed offender by the Special Judge (POTA), New Delhi," the notification said.
It mentioned that the JeM under the patronage of Masood Azhar, extensively undertakes recruitment drives for terrorist activities and his preaching wings regularly organise events in order to urge people to promote terrorism and support their actions against India.
Azhar has been charged with involvement in various terrorist attacks in India, which include the terror attack on the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly complex in Srinagar on October 1, 2001 wherein 38 people were killed, the terror attack on the Parliament on December 13, 2001 wherein six security force personnel, two parliament security service personnel and a civilian were killed, the terror attack on January 2, 2016 at Pathankot air base in Punjab by militants coming from Pakistan, wherein seven security force personnel were killed and 37 were injured.
His outfit was also involved in terror attacks on Border Security Force (BSF) camp at Humhama in Srinagar (October, 2017), on the CRPF camp at Lethpora, Pulwama (December, 2017) and on the army camp, Sunjwan, Jammu (February, 2018), said the notification.
Azhar had also been instrumental in Pulwama terror attack on February 14 this year wherein 40 paramilitary troopers were killed.
He was accused in various cases registered and being investigated by the National Investigation Agency and a charge sheet had been filed against him in the Pathankot air base attack case.
A Red Corner Notice (No. A-1086/7-2004 and A-4367/5-2016) have also been issued against Azhar.
Hafiz Saeed -- also known by his different aliases as Hafiz Mohammad Sahib, Hafiz Mohaddad Sayid, Hafiz Muhammad, Hafiz Saeed, Hafez Mohammad Saeed, Hafiz Mohammad Sayeed, Mohammad Sayed and Muhammad Saeed -- born on June 5, 1950, son of Kamal-ud-Din, is founder chief and key leader of proscribed terrorist organisation LeT and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), said the notification.
The LeT is listed as a terrorist organisation and Saeed is designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 on December 10, 2008.
It was also noted in the notification that he has been involved in various terrorist attacks in India that include the Red Fort attack (December 22, 2000) in which three persons including two army jawans were killed, and the Rampur attack (January 1, 2008) in which seven Central Reserve Police Force personnel and one civilian were killed.
He was also named in the 26/11 Mumbai attack in which 166 people, including 25 foreigners, were killed and 235 people were injured.
Saeed, also instrumental on the attack of the BSF convoy at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2015, is accused in various cases registered and being investigated by the NIA which inter-alia include Jammu and Kashmir terror conspiracy and
terror funding case and Dukhtaran-E-Millat case.
A charges heet had been filed against Saeed in Mumbai terror attack and RCN (No. A-2414/8-2009) was issued against him on August 28 this year for his role in the case.
Lakhvi -- also known as Abu Waheed Irshad Ahmad Arshad, Kaki Ur-Rehman, Zakir Rehman Lakhvi, Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakvi, Zakir Rehman -- born on December 30, 1960, son of Hafiz Aziz-ur-Rehman, is the chief operational commander of LeT and also one of its founder members, the notification said.
He is also designated by the United Nations as a global terrorist under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 on December 10, 2008 and has been involved in various terrorist attacks in India.
Lakhvi is accused in various cases of LeT attacks and being investigated by the NIA, said the notification, mentioning a charge sheet had been filed against him in Mumbai terror attack.
An RCN (No. A-2413/8-2009) was issued against Lakhvi on August 28, 2009 for his role in Mumbai terror attack case.
Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar -- known with his different aliases as Dawood Hasan Shiekh Kaskar, Dawood Bhai, Dawood Sabri, Iqbal Seth, Bada Patel, Dawood Ebrahim, Sheikh Dawood Hassan, Abdul Hamid, Abdul Aziz, Anis Ibrahim, Aziz Dilip, Daud Hasan Shaikh Ibrahim Kaskar, Daud Ibrahim Memon Kaskar, Dawood Hasan Ibrahim Kaskar, Dawood Ibrahim Memon, Kaskar Dawood Hasan, Shaikh Mohd Ismail Abdul Rehman, Dowood Hassan Shaikh Ibrahim, Dawood Bhai Low quality, Ibrahim Shaikh Modh Anis, Shaikh Ismail Abdul, Sheikh Farooqi, Iqbal Bhai having date -- born on December 26, 1955, son of Ibrahim Kaskar, runs an international underworld crime syndicate and is involved in perpetrating acts of terror, said the notification.
Dawood is also alleged to be instrumental in promoting religious fundamentalism, terror financing, arms smuggling, circulation of counterfeit currency, money laundering, narcotics, extortion and benami real estate business in India and abroad and is also involved in assassination attempts on prominent personalities to create social disharmony and terrorise common man.
He was designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 and listed in Al-Qaeda sanction list on November 3, 2003.
"The United Nations Security Council had also issued a special notice (No.U-65/4-2006) in the name of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar April 6, 2006."
The UN Security Council's Islamic State of Iraq and Levant and Al-Qaeda Sanction Committee had listed him for participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf or in support of, supplying, selling or transferring arms and related material or otherwise supporting acts or activities Osama bin Laden -- believed dead militant of terror group Al-Qaeda which he founded -- and the Taliban.
It is mentioned that Dawood executed a series of bomb blasts through his associates in Mumbai in March 1993 which resulted in deaths of 257 persons and injuries to over 1,000 persons apart from destruction of properties on a massive scale.
An Arrest warrant (No. 4913) was issued on the April 1, 1993 by a Mumbai court against Dawood and an RCN (No. A-135/4/1993) is open against him in the Mumbai serial bomb blast case.