New Delhi: A National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court sentenced two overground workers (OGWs) of the Pakistan-based banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to 15 years’ rigorous imprisonment on Friday.
The two were convicted of providing shelter, food, and logistic support to a group of heavily armed Pakistani terrorists.
The terrorists had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir in 2016 with the intent to carry out attacks in the Valley and the OGWs aided them, facilitating their movement and operations.
A release by the agency said that the two are residents of Handwara in the Kupwara district of Kashmir. They have been identified as Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazir Ahmad Peer. The two were convicted and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment each under Section 18 and Section 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and another nine years under Section 39 of the same legislation.
The sentences will run concurrently, upto the maximum of 15 years. The two men have also been fined Rs. 50,000 under each of these sections, totalling a fine of Rs. 1,50,000 for each accused, the release said.
An LeT terrorist named Bahadur Ali, also known as Saifullah, had infiltrated into Indian territory in District Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir, along with other terrorists. The heavily armed group of terrorists was equipped with sophisticated arms and ammunition, explosives, navigation devices, night vision devices, and communication equipment.
While in India, the group of terrorists had remained in constant contact with their LeT handlers based in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan. The terrorists were continuously receiving instructions and directions for carrying out attacks within India.
According to officials, they had planned to carry out a series of terror attacks in J&K and other parts of India, including Delhi. Their plans were, however, foiled as Bahadur Ali was arrested on July 25, 2016. Two other infiltrators, namely Abu Saad and Abu Darda, were killed in an encounter by security forces later.
The NIA had filed a chargesheet against Bahadur Ali in January 2017. After pleading guilty, Bahadur Ali – a Pakistani national – was convicted in March 2021 and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment under various provisions of the IPC, the UAPA, the Explosives Act, the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act, and the Foreigners Act.
Further investigation led the NIA to Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazir Ahmad Peer. The agency came to know that the two had provided safe shelter, food, and other logistics support to the Pakistani terrorist. The duo had even facilitated Bahadur Ali by arranging his meetings with other Pakistani terrorists in the Kashmir Valley.
The two men were identified and arrested in September 2017 and were chargesheeted by the NIA in March 2018. The court convicted them on December 18, 2025, and passed the sentence against them on Friday.
