Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, released during IC-814 hijacking, designated as terrorist

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday designated Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, ANI reported.

Zargar was one of the terrorists released in 1999 by the Indian government in exchange of the hostages of the Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 that was hijacked from Kathmandu.

The home ministry in a notification said that Zargar, who is the founder and chief commander of Al-Umar-Mujahideen, was involved in several terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, PTI reported.

“He has been involved in various terror crimes including murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, planning and execution of terrorist attacks and terror funding,” the notification said.

Zargar, who is currently in Pakistan, has been running an incessant campaign from Pakistan to fuel terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the government added.

The home ministry said he is a threat to peace, not only to India but across the world given his contacts and proximity to terrorist groups like the Al-Qaeda and the Jaish-e-Mohammed.

With this development, the Centre has declared four individuals as terrorists in the last one week.

On April 8, the home ministry declared Hafiz Talha Saeed as a terrorist under the provisions of the anti-terror law. Talha is the son of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.

On Monday, terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad member Mohiuddin Aurangzeb Alamgir was designated as a terrorist.

Alamgir is the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammad founder Maulana Masood Azhar and is also a key conspirator in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed.

On Tuesday, Ali Kashif Jan, who handled the 2016 terror attack on Pathankot airbase from Pakistan, was declared a terrorist.

Once a person is declared a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, it allows central bodies such as the National Investigation Agency to seize the person’s assets.