Srinagar, Jan 09: In a significant move to tighten its grip on Pakistan-backed terrorist organizations operating in Jammu & Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against three persons affiliated with a banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) offshoot. The accused are charged with conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks involving sticky bombs, IEDs, and small arms, said spokesman.
The spokesperson added that the accused named in the chargesheet is a Pakistani national, Habibullah Malik, known by several aliases. Originally from Kasur district in Punjab, Pakistan, he has been implicated in multiple terrorist attacks in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
The supplementary chargesheet, filed before the NIA Special Court in Jammu, includes Habibullah Malik, Hilal Yaqooob Deva @ Sethi Soab, and Musiab Fayaz Baba @ Shoaib @ Zarar, both from Shopian in Kashmir. The case (RC-05/2022/NIA/JMU) was registered by the NIA on 21st June 2022, involving a conspiracy by proscribed terrorist organizations to spread fear, terror, and disrupt peace in Jammu & Kashmir.
Investigations reveal that the accused trio conspired to carry out terrorist attacks on security forces and others in the region with the intention of waging war against the Government of India. Habibullah Malik served as an active Commander of The Resistance Front (TRF), a LeT offshoot based in Pakistan. He played a role in motivating vulnerable Kashmiri youth to join TRF/LeT for terrorist activities in J&K.
According to NIA findings, Habibullah radicalized Hilal and Musiab, who then worked as Over Ground Workers (OGWs) under his command. The OGWs collected and transported funds and weapons as per Habibullah’s directions to support terror attacks in J&K.
This conspiracy is part of larger plans by banned terrorist outfits to commit acts of terror and violence by indoctrinating local youth and mobilizing overground workers to disturb peace and communal harmony in J&K.
The NIA is actively investigating various banned terrorist organizations operating in J&K, including The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF, and others. These outfits are affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, Al-Qaeda, etc.
The anti-terror agency has intensified its operations to thwart the conspiracy of these organizations to revive terrorism and disturb the peace and communal harmony of Jammu & Kashmir.
