New Delhi: India has declared Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and others terrorists under the new anti-terror law. Apart from them, the government list of new officially announced terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act include LeT's supreme commander of operations in Kashmir Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. The decision has been taken almost a month after the Parliament approved a crucial amendment the UAPA, 1967 Bill.

According to an official statement by Home Ministry, the aforementioned India's most wanted men are first to be declared terrorist under the new anti-terror bill. According to reports, MHA issued a gazette notification declaring the four individuals as 'terrorists' under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

A report by news agency PTI states that the Home Ministry cited a series of acts in which Pakistan-based Azhar was involved including attack on Jammu and Kashmir Assembly complex in 2001, attack on Parliament in 2001, Pathankot airbase attack in 2016 and the dreadful Pulwama attack in February this year.

The ministry also stated that Azhar was also designated as a global terrorist by the UN under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 on May 1, 2019 and was declared as a proclaimed offender by the special judge (POTA), New Delhi.

"And whereas, the central government believes that Maulana Masood Azhar is involved in terrorism and Maulana Masood Azhar is involved in terrorism and Maulana Masood Azhar is to be notified as a terrorist under the said Act...," a home ministry notification said.

On Saeed, the home ministry said he was involved in various  attacks including Red Fort in 2000, a CRPF camp in Rampur (Uttar Pradesh), India's worst terror strike in Mumbai in 2008 in which 166 people were killed and the attack on a BSF convoy at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015.

On LeT commander Lakhvi, the ministry said he was involved in various attacks including Red Fort attack in 2000, Rampur CRPF camp in 2008, Mumbai in 2008 and on a BSF convoy at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir.

The ministry also said that Dawood runs an international underworld crime syndicate and is involved in perpetrating acts of terror, promotion religious clashes, terror financing, arm smuggling, black money trading, narcotics, extortion and benami real estate business in both India and abroad.

Reports suggest that the government has also issued red corner notices against all four terrorists and it is expected that the Home Ministry will include more such names in the list in the coming days.