After TRF, MHA bans People’s Anti-Fascist Front

SRINAGAR — A day after militant outfit The Resistance Front (TRF) was declared as a terrorist organization, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) banned the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for carrying out ‘terror’ activities in Kashmir.

“PAFF is a proxy outfit of Maulana Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed and was involved in terror acts and issuing threats to Indian security forces, political leaders, civilians in J&K, and other states,” MHA said in a notification.

The MHA said that the outfit had emerged in the year 2019 as a proxy outfit of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a proscribed militant organization listed at serial number 6 of the First Schedule under the UAPA.

“It regularly issues threats to Indian security forces, political leaders, civilians working in Jammu-Kashmir from other states and is involved, along with other organizations, in conspiring pro-actively physically and in social media to undertake violent terrorist acts and Jammu-Kashmir and other major cities in India,” it said.

The MHA also declared Arbaz Ahmad Mir, a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative who currently is based in Pakistan, as an “individual terrorist” under the fourth schedule of UAPA. Mir, according to the government, was the main accused in the targeted killing of Rajni Bala, a school teacher in Kulgam in May last year.

Centre declares Dr Asif Maqbool as ‘terrorist’ under UAPA

The Union Home Ministry on Saturday declared Dr. Asif Maqbool, who is based in Saudi Arabia, a ‘terrorist’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act)-1967.

In a notification, the MHA said that Dr. Asif Maqbool, who is a resident of Bandey Payeen, Wagoora, Baramulla, presently based at Daman, Ash Sharqiyah, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, is associated with Hizb-ul-Muhahideen.

“Dr. Asif Maqbool Dar is involved in instigating or provoking the youth of Kashmir Valley for terrorist activities by using social media platforms,” reads the notification.

According to the MHA, Dr. Asif Maqbool Dar is one of the leading radical voices on social media and is involved in nefariously influencing Kashmiri youth to take up arms against the Indian government and security forces.

The MHA further said that “Dr. Asif Maqbool Dar is accused in a case investigated by the National Investigating Agency relating to a conspiracy hatched by the cadres of the terrorist organization to undertake violent terrorist acts in Jammu and Kashmir and major cities in India including New Delhi on the direction of handlers based across the border”.

Dr. Asif Maqbool is the 52nd person to be declared as a terrorist under the UAPA.