New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday designated Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen’s launching commander Bashir Ahmad Peer as terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his role in terror activities including providing logistics to the banned outfit’s terrorists especially for infiltration into Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir. Peer alias Imtiyaz Alam alias Haji, originally belonging to Babarpora area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, is presently residing at Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
A notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared that Peer has been designated as terrorist under UAPA, mentioning he is the “launching commander of Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen and carries Pakistan’s Computerised National Identity Card No. 82203-7942470-9”.
As per the notification, Peer is responsible for providing “logistics to Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen terrorists, especially for infiltration into Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir and coordinates with other terrorist groups for terror activities in the Union Territory”.
The Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen terrorist has been involved in “routing funds for terrorism activities in Jammu and Kashmir”.
Besides, the notification said that Peer has been involved in “a number of online propaganda groups to unite ex-militants and other cadres for furtherance of activities of terrorist organisations Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba and others.”
“The Central government believes that Bashir Ahmad Peer is involved in terrorism and he is to be notified as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967,” read the notification.
Taking cognisance of Peer’s involvement in terrorist activities, the Central government took the action against him to declare him a terrorist in the exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, mentions the notification.
The notification further mentioned that the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967) has been enacted to provide for more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations and for dealing with terrorist activities.
Besides, it noted, Clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 empowers the Central Government to notify the name of an individual in the Fourth Schedule to the Act, if it believes that he is involved in terrorism.
The notification also mentioned that Hizb-Ul-Mujahideen is listed as a terrorist organisation under the First Schedule to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.