Washington (USA) | Jagran News Desk: The US on Thursday backed India’s move to declare Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar as individual terrorists and said that they stand with India on this move.
“We stand w/ #India & commend it for utilizing new legal authorities to designate 4 notorious terrorists: Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi & Dawood Ibrahim. This new law expands possibilities for joint #USIndia efforts to combat scourge of terrorism,” tweeted the Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Alice Wells on Thursday.
The Indian government on Thursday declared Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman-Lakhvi and fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim as individual terrorists under the new anti-terror law.
The decisions were taken nearly a month after Parliament approved a crucial amendment to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 1967.
“The central government believes that Maulana Masood Azhar is involved in terrorism and Maulana Masood Azhar is to be notified as a terrorist under the said Act,” said a Home Ministry notification.
“The central government believes that Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is involved in terrorism and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is to be notified as a terrorist under the said Act,” it added.
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019, passed by Lok Sabha and waiting for the approval of Rajya Sabha, will provide for seizure of properties and putting a travel ban on such individuals once they are declared as terrorists.
Once designated as a terrorist, the government will take action like seizing his assets, etc. However, details of the action to be taken under the proposed law would be decided when Rules to the Act will be framed after the Bill is passed by Parliament and gets President's assent, government sources said.
Before the amendment, only organisations could have been given the terrorism designation by India.
“Terrorism has no religion, terrorists are against humanity; all should support stringent laws against it,” said Union Home Minister Amit Shah.