Man released in 1999 Indian Airlines hijack case in exchange for hostages declared terrorist

Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, the founder and Chief Commander of proscribed AlUmar-Mujahideen who was released in the 1999 Indian Airlines flight hijack case in exchange of hostages, has been designated a "terrorist" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Zargar is the third person to be designated as a terrorist in the past five days, taking the total number of such people to 34. Last Saturday, Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed's son Hafiz Talha Saeed and on Monday, Jaish-e-Mohammed's Mohiuddin Aurangzeb Alamgir, who was involved in the 2019 Pulwama terror strike, were declared terrorists.

According to a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notification issued on Tuesday, 52-year-old Zargar had been affiliated with Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and had gone to Pakistan for obtaining illegal arms and ammunition training.

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He was also "one of the released terrorists in the year 1999 in Indian Airlines Flight hijacking crisis, in exchange of the hostages of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814" and has been "running an incessant campaign from Pakistan to fuel terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir".

Zargar has been involved in "various terror crimes including murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, planning and execution of terrorist attacks and terror funding".

"Whereas, the said Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar is a threat to peace, not only to India, but across the world, with his contacts and proximity to radical terrorist groups like the Al- Qaeda and Jaish-eMohammed" and whereas, the Central Government believes that Zargar is involved in terrorism, the notification said, he has been declared as a terrorist under UAPA.

Earlier in October 2020, the Centre had designated 18 people, including Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahudeen, Indian Mujahideen founders Bhatkal brothers -- Riyaz and Iqbal -- and Dawood aide Chotta Shakeel as 'terrorists'.

Read | India proscribes 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed's son as a terrorist

In September 2019, four people, including Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Sayeed and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and on July 2020, nine Sikhs involved in Khalistan movement were declared terrorists.

The list also includes two hijackers -- Ibrahim Athar and Yusuf Azhar -- of Indian Airlines plane in 1999 and Ibrahim Memon, who is based in Pakistan and wanted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. Athar is also a key conspirator in the 2001 Parliament attack case.

Hafiz Sayeed's brother-in-law Abdur Rehman Makki, who heads the outfit's political affairs department and served as the head of LeT's foreign relations department, Sajid Mir, a Pakistan-based LeT Commander and one of the main planners of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, and Yusuf Muzammil, accused in 26/11 as well as LeT frontal organisation Falah-i-lnsaniyat Foundation Deputy Chief Shahid Mehmood also figure in the list.