Shujaat Bukhari killer designated terrorist by Centre

A resident of Srinagar, Gul is one of the commanders and associate members of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and is currently absconding, the notification said.

‘Sajad has been actively radicalizing, motivating and recruiting youth of Jammu and Kashmir to support proscribed terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba and has been involved in terror funding… Sajad was found involved in hatching criminal conspiracy, in connivance with terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, in eliminating a prominent journalist along with his two personal security officers on 14th June, 2018, at the busy Press Enclave area of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir,’ the notification said.

According to Jammu and Kashmir police, Bukhari’s murder was planned by Gul in Pakistan on instructions of LeT bosses.

In the past couple of weeks, the government has notified several terror operatives based in Pakistan or suspected to be in the neighbouring country. These include LeT chief Hafiz Saeed’s son Talha, JeM chief Masood Azhar’s brother and Pulwama attack accused Ammar Alvi, Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Ali Kashif Jaan, and Pulwama attack courier Ashiq Ahmed Nengroo, among others.

The Union government had amended the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, in August 2019, to include the provision of designating an individual as a terrorist. Prior to this amendment, only organizations could be designated as terrorist organizations.

In first orders under the new Act, in September 2019, the government had declared LeT’s Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, JeM’s Masood Azhar and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim as terrorists.

Designation as a terrorist helps the government freeze finances and crack down on networks created by the individual terrorist.

Clause (a) of sub-section (1) of Section 35 of the UAPA empowers the Centre to notify the name of an individual in the Fourth Schedule to the said Act, if it believes that s/he is involved in terrorism.