New Delhi: The Centre on Saturday designated 23 Pakistan‑based operatives of Jaish‑e‑Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar‑e‑Taiba (LeT) as terrorists, accusing them of involvement in recruitment, training, infiltration, drone‑enabled arms supply and the planning of attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) identified three of the named individuals — Abdul Rauf, Hafiz Khalid Waleed and Rana Iftikhar — as close associates of LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. The notification said Rana Iftikhar, 54, “coordinates among anti‑Jihadi organisations, motivates youths to carry out terrorist activities and is a close associate of Hafiz Saeed.”
It described Abdul Rauf, 52, as belonging to LeT and Jamaat‑ud‑Dawa, “involved in planning and coordinating terrorist activities, collecting funds and is one of the main terrorists in LeT under the direct command of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.”
The MHA said Hafiz Khalid Waleed, 51, “works under the protection of Hafiz Saeed with the intention of carrying out terrorist activities and is the mastermind of several terrorist incidents.”
Links To Nagrota & Sunjwan Attacks
The notification tied several of the named individuals to previous militant attacks. It named Mufti Muhammad Asghar Khan (also Abu Saad), 52, of Abbaspur in Pakistan‑occupied Jammu and Kashmir, as a launching commander and “one of the masterminds of the November 29, 2016, attack on the Indian Army camp at Nagrota in Jammu.”
The MHA also designated Hafiz Abdul Shakoor, 56, and Abdullah Jehadi, 47, as involved in the 2016 Nagrota attack. The notification connected Masood Ilyas Kashmiri (Mufti Masood Ilyas), 41, residing in Rawalkot, with recruiting, training and facilitating infiltration, and linked him to the April 22, 2022 attack on security forces at Sunjwan.
Handlers, Drone Suppliers & Cyber Recruiters
Among those named, the MHA identified Mohammad Mussadiq (Doctor/Hamza), 38, of Shakargarh in Narowal district, as “one of the main handlers of JeM infiltration of Pakistani terrorists into J‑K and was involved in the Sunjwan attack. He supplied arms and ammunition through drones across the border and is also involved in handling a team of JeM cyber players who use various social media platforms to recruit youths for the outfit.”
The notification also listed individuals accused of managing safe passage for foreign militants, delivering drone consignments, arranging weapons training, and running online recruitment and encrypted‑communications training.
Cross‑Border Logistics & Funding
The MHA named several operatives accused of logistics support and fund collection. It included Abid Quyoom Lone, 27, for planning, coordinating and collecting funds; Nazir Ahmed Gujjar, 38, for sending arms via drones; and Ashfaq Ahmad, 52, for providing technical assistance and collecting funds. The notification also designated Maulana Imdad Ullah Makki, 46, described as an alleged coordinator and Amir/head of several JeM factions, and Maulana Saifullah Khalid, 57, active in Jamaat‑ud‑Dawa factions.
Other Designations
Other named suspects include Firdous Ahmad Bhat, 33, accused of managing safe passage for foreign terrorists; Ghulam Fareed, 42, accused of providing arms; Haroon Rashid Ganai, 36, accused of recruitment; Mohammed Shaheed Faisal, 40, linked to LeT, Al‑Qaeda and ISIS modules and alleged to train youths in data encryption and fake identities; and Bilal Ahmad Mir, 27, said to belong to LeT and The Resistance Front. The list also includes Mohammad Yaqoob, Molana Yousaf Taibi, Waseem Noor Jat, Owais Farooz and Qari Yaqub Sheikh.
Tracking Evolving Networks
The MHA move comes as Indian security and investigative agencies continue to map and disrupt cross‑border terror networks that increasingly rely on drones, encrypted platforms and social media for recruitment, logistics and coordination. The notification formalises these 23 designations under India’s counter‑terror framework
