Even as thousands of the Jammu and Kashmir militants crossed over to Pakistan, took guerrilla training, operated from that country or back in the valley without losing anything in the last over 32 years, authorities have for the first time launched a major drive to attach their properties under proper court orders.

Days after some wanted and fugitive terrorists’ houses were either attached or razed by bulldozers, and close on the heels of the attachment of the Al-Umar Mujahideen chief Mushtaq Latram’s house in downtown Srinagar, a designated court for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases at Jammu has issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against 13 militants of Kishtwar domicile settled in Pakistan and operating from that country.

Official sources said that the NIA Special Court in Jammu issued the NBWs against the 13 militants of Kishtwar districts on Thursday. All the 13, according to the Jammu and Kashmir Police dossiers, are currently in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The militants of Kishtwar domicile against whom the NBWs have been issued include   Shahnawaz Kanth aka Munna aka Umer S/o Abdul Rasheed R/o Hullar; Nayeem Ahmed aka Amir aka Gazi S/o Ghulam Nabi Gundna R/o Jamia Masjid Kishtwar; Mohammad Iqbal aka Bilal S/o Mohammad Akbar Bhat R/o Kichloo Market Kishtwar; Shahnawaz aka Nayeem Ghulam Mohammad R/o Chirool Padyarna; Javed Hussain Giri aka Muzamil S/o Mohammad Amin Giri R/o Kundali Pochal; Bashir Ahmad Mughal S/o Ghulam Qadir Mughal R/o Jugna Keshwan; Gazi-ud-din S/o Mohammad Ayoub Guijar R/o Jugna Keshwan; Sattar Din aka Rajab aka Saifullah S/o Mehar Din Gujjar R/o Jugna Keshwan; Imtiyaz Ahmad aka Dawood S/o Aziz Mohammad Sheikh R/o Banderna Kishtwar; Shabir Ahmad S/o Ghulam Mohi-ud-din R/o Kither Bonjwah; Mohammad Rafeeq Keen S/o Bashir Ahmad Keen R/o Patnazi Bonjwah; Muzaffer Ahmad S/o Abdul Ahmad Dev R/o Semna Colony Zewar Kishtwar and Azad Hussain S/o Abdul Majeed R/o Affani Padder.

The warrants have been issued in NIA case FIR 272/2022 (J&K Terror-related case), which stands charged with offenses in case FIR No.272/2022 under Section120-B/121-A/IPC, 13/18/39/UAPA OF P/S Kishtwar.

SSP Kishtwar Khalil Poswal said that Chief Investigation Officer (CIO) of Kishtwar Police approached the Special NIA Court for issuing NBWs against the accused for their active involvement in terror activities for creating unrest in the Chenab valley and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

“They mobilized sleeper cells and pushed them into J&K in connivance with secessionist and separatist leaders for waging war against the Government of India with the nefarious design of seceding Jammu and Kashmir from Union of India”, said a statement, adding that further investigation in the case was underway.

Knowledgeable sources said that seeking NBWs against the 13 Pakistan-based militants was part of a major crackdown that had been launched in the Union Territory for the first time since the insurgency broke out in 1989. “Their movable and immovable properties at home will be attached; no stone will be left unturned to get them back and face the law. Extradition process of many of the separatist and militant activists overseas, who have engaged in anti-India campaigns while being there on Indian Passports, is also being initiated”, said a senior official.

In the beginning, action was initiated against the fugitive militants of Kishtwar domicile. Officials said that a list of over 150 militants of the Chenab valley—Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts—had been compiled. Of them, 118 are reportedly residents of Jammu’s Doda district, currently operating from Pakistan and PoK.

While some of them have been already designated as “individual terrorists”, process is said to be underway in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to incorporate others in the same list under different provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Security and intelligence agencies, according to sources, believe that the recent terror incidents at Dhangri, Rajouri, Dhangri attack in Rajouri could also be the handiwork of the local militants sitting in Pakistan and PoK. They are believed to have identified some targets, including some attacks on members of the minority community across the Jammu province. Of the 118 Doda domicile militants in Pakistan, 10 are working with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) groups.

Those already designated as “individual terrorists” include Irshad Ahmed Attu aka Idrees R/o Domail Udhyanpur and Mohammad Amin aka Khubaib aka Haroon R/o Nandna Phagsoo, Thathri. Abdul Rashid aka Jehangir R/o Khanpur Phagsoo could fall in the same category shortly as a dossier against him was said to be ready.

Some more militants of Doda district operating in Pakistan and PoK, likely to be declared as individual terrorists, include Abdul Hai aka Tahir Bilal S/o Ghulam Mohammad Bhat R/o Sazan Bhagwah, Mohammad Hussain Khateeb S/o Abdul Hai Khateeb of Masjid Mohalla, Bhaderwah, Khalid Hussain aka Saifullah S/o Abdul Qadoos R/o Hamdanpur, Majeed Hussain aka Abu Zaid Mujahid S/o Mangta Bhat R/o Manoie Gandoh, Mohammad Shafi aka Nadeem S/o Ghulam Mohammad of Trenkal Kahara, Naseer Ahmed aka Babloo S/o Ghulam Hussain Thukur R/o Khai Mohalla Bhaderwah, Nazir Ahmed Gujjar aka Abu Manazir S/o Lal Din Gujjar R/o Bagla Bharath, Shabir Ahmad Naik aka Shera S/o Ghulam Mohammad Naik R/o Dandal Kastigarh, Atta Mohammad S/o Ghulam Nabi R/o Tanta Kahara, Zakir Hussain S/o Abdul Rashid R/o Draina Bhalla Bhaderwah and Abdul Rashid aka Jahangir S/o Arsullah Khanday of Khanpura Phagsoo.

“Rest seven active militants would also be declared as individual terrorists and police administration is engaged in preparing dossiers against them including the terror acts executed by the militants here at their behest. Role of these militants has been established with documentary evidence,” sources said.

Police and intelligence agencies have gathered all details about these terrorists including the places they were living in Pakistan and PoK, the militants they have trained so far, their role in infiltrating militants and pushing arms, ammunition and explosives through drones and other means and luring local youth including their relatives into the militancy.

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