Centre designates LeT's Habibullah Malik as terrorist under UAPA for recruiting 'Kashmiri youths into militancy'

By Rajnish Singh
New Delhi [India], October 4 : The Centre on Tuesday designated Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) member Habibullah Malik as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for "radicalizing Kashmiri youths and recruiting them into militancy through his network".
Born on September 3, 1982, Habibullah Malik alias Sajid Jutt alias Saifullah alias Noomi alias Numan alias Langda alias Ali Sajid alias Usman Habib alias Shani is a resident of Shangamanga village in Pakistan's Kasur district. He is associated with LeT and its offshoot The Resistance Front (TRF).
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a notification issued on Tuesday, said "Habibullah Malik has been involved in radicalizing Kashmiri youths and recruiting them into militancy through his network".
As per the notification, Habibullah Malik is the "key handler of terrorists who carried out the attack on Indian Soldiers in Bhata Dhunan in Poonch".
Malik is also accused of his involvement in "drone dropping of arms and communication systems in Jammu region for Jammu and Kashmir based terrorists".
Through the notification, the MHA said Malik had created a wide network of hardcore militants, and that he has been "masterminding multiple terrorist attacks in the Kashmir valley including fidayeen attack against the army at Hyderpora, Srinagar in June 2013 and killing of Station House Officer Chadoora, Budgamm in December 2013."
"The Central government believes that Habibullah Malik 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 Habibullah Malik's role, the Central government took the action in exercising the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, mentioned 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 Lashkar-e-Taiba is listed as a terrorist organisation under the First Schedule to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.