Government declares Jaish offshoot Peoples Anti-Fascist-Front as terrorist organisation

The Centre on Friday declared People’s Anti-Fascist-Front (PAFF), a proxy outfit of banned terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and all its manifestations and front organisations as a ‘terrorist’ organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.

The PAFF emerged in the year 2019 as a proxy outfit of JeM, a proscribed terrorist organisation listed at serial number 6 of the First Schedule under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) made the declaration through a notification, pointing out that “PAFF regularly issues threats to Indian security forces, political leaders, civilians working in Jammu-Kashmir from other states”.

As per the MHA, PAFF along with other organisations is involved in “conspiring pro actively physically and in social media to undertake violent terrorist acts and Jammu Kashmir and other major cities in India”.

“The PAFF along with other organisations is indulging in the radicalization of impressionable youth for the purpose of recruitment and training in handling guns, ammunition, and explosives,” said the MHA.

Taking cognizance of the activities, the MHA notification said the Central government believes that the ‘People’s Anti-Fascist-Front (PAFF)’ is involved in terrorism and it has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India and under section 35 of the UAPA “in the First Schedule to the said Act, in serial number 6, after the words “Tahrik-E-Furqan”, the words and brackets “/ People’s Anti-Fascist-Front (PAFF) and all its manifestations and front organisations’, shall be inserted.”

The First Schedule of the UAPA contains the list of terrorist organisations.