Besides Azhar, India has declared Mumbai terror attack accused Zaki-ur-Rehman-Lakhvi, fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, and Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed as individual terrorists. U.S. has backed India’s move to declare JeM chief Masood Azhar and three others as terrorists individually under a new anti-terror law. “We stand with India & commend it for utilizing new legal authorities to designate 4 notorious terrorists: Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi & Dawood Ibrahim.
Decission to declare all four of them as terrorists has been taken nearly a month after Parliament approved a crucial amendment to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment (UAPA) Act, 1967. The four are the first to be declared terrorists under the new law, an official at the Union Home Ministry said in New Delhi.
According to the UAPA, earlier only a group could be declared as terrorist. The amendments made in the Act allows the government to declare even an individual as terrorist. These four are involved in terrorist attacks in India and have been designated as global terrorists under United Nations. Under the new law, the government can impose a travel ban on individuals who have been designated as “terrorists” and seize their properties.
U.S. supports India’s move to declare JeM chief Masood Azhar, 3 others as terrorists individually under new anti-terror law
