- By Shubham Bajpai
- Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:25 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Shahzad Bhatti Network declared terrorist by Indian government.
- Involved in cross-border arms, explosives, narcotics smuggling.
- Inciting Indian youth into terrorism, MHA notification states.
The Central government on Wednesday declared the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti Network gang as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by listing it under the First Schedule of the Act.
The notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) states that the group has been involved in smuggling arms, explosives and narcotics across borders while inciting petty criminals and Indian youth into terrorism.
"Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) is an organisation whose objective is to involve gullible youth and local criminals to smuggle arms, explosives, and narcotics from across the border, and through terrorist activities, pose a serious threat to the democratic system, communal harmony, and internal security of the country," the MHA notification stated.
Ahead of Independence Day, the Indian security forces launched a months-long crackdown on the network across multiple states to arrest over 200 operatives of the SBN.
The operations involved not only the Central agencies like the NIA but also state police and ATSs. The probe revealed that the SBN was extensively using social media platforms to engage with the gullible youth and local criminals.
Following the leads, the forces foiled several terror plots, including a plan of petrol bomb attacks across Delhi and recce of Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari's Kolkata home, among others.
The crackdown expanded to 14 states. Speaking about busting the SBN's terror operations in the country, Home Minister Amit Shah, last month, said that the Indian forces thwarted SBN's subversive attacks.
He revealed that the network was operating at the behest of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.
Pakistan denies link to network
Reacting to the terror plot bust, Islamabad denied a link to the arrests in India and brought up the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian naval officer-turned businessman, whom Pakistan kidnapped in March 2016.
In a statement, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi accused New Delhi of using Pakistan-related assertions to "divert attention from its domestic security challenges". It mentioned Jadhav as an example of India’s espionage attempts— a claim New Delhi rejected multiple times, even at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)."