Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Dawood Ibrahim and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi have been declared as terrorists under the Anti-Terrorist Act (UAPA) for taking refuge in neighboring Pakistan. These actions were taken under the amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Last month, President Ram Nath Kovind approved the bill under which a person can be declared a terrorist and his assets can be confiscated. Explain that earlier their organizations were declared as terrorists. Now a person can also be declared a terrorist under this amended bill. Where now such action has also been taken.
While approving the bill, it was stated that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment (UAPA) Bill, 2019 provides for action on those persons as well as travel restrictions on those who have been declared as terrorists. Let me tell you that when this bill was approved, then it was also feared that under it, Hafiz Saeed, founder of India's most wanted Lashkar-e-Taiba and Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, were terrorists can be declared.
However, Dawood Ibrahim and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi have also been declared terrorists along with them. According to the information, after the amendments in the bill, the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will have the right to attach the assets of such terrorists.
In Parliament, Home Minister Amit Shah said that this law will only be used to deal with terrorism. Shah had said that terrorist acts are carried out not by organizations but by individuals. Declaring organizations as mere terrorist organizations will not stop terrorism, as there are terrorists who run the organization. If action is taken on the organization, then the person associated with it starts the organization by another name and conduct terrorist activities.
Masood Azhar, who has carried out several terrorist attacks in India, was declared a global terrorist by the UN just a few months ago. Please tell that Jaish-e-Mohammed kingpin Masood Azhar was responsible for many attacks in India. Prior to Pulwama, its organization Jaish has carried out an attack on the Pathankot airbase in 2016, an attack on Parliament in 2001, a Jammu and Kashmir assembly attack in the same year and several attacks against security forces in Kashmir.
On 31 December 1999, terrorists hijacked an Indian aircraft flying from Kathmandu. Azhar was released in exchange for his hostages being released. Since then, he has been continuously carrying out terrorist incidents against India while living in Pakistan.
