MHA declares Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force as a terrorist organisation

The number of organisations that are declared terrorist organisations has now gone up to 43 in J&K

SRINAGAR | Updated: 17 February, 2023 10:37 pm IST

JKGF was also responsible for a terror attack on a police post in the Ramban district of J&K last year (Photo for representative purpose only)

The Union Home Ministry on Friday, February 17, declared Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF) a “terrorist organization” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act-1967.

The Ministry has listed the JKGF in the first schedule of the UAPA law, which contains the list of such organisations according to the notification issued by MHA.

The MHA said the JKGF surfaced in 2020 and is a terrorist outfit. It draws its cadres from various proscribed terrorist organisations, such as Lashker-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Jehad-E-Islami, etc.

“The JKGF is involved in infiltration bids, narcotics and weapon smuggling and carrying out terror attacks in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” the ministry said.

“The activities of the JKGF are detrimental to the national security and sovereignty of India,” the MHA said, adding that the central government believes that the JKGF is involved in terrorism and has committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India.

According to the MHA, JKGF regularly issues threats to Indian security forces and uses various social media platforms to incite people in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to join terrorist outfits against India.

JKGF has been particularly active in the Rajouri Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir. In the recent past, they have carried out multiple terror activities in the region. JKGF had also claimed responsibility for a terror attack on a police post in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir last year.

Security forces have also busted multiple OGW networks of the JKGF in the past, leading to multiple arrests of its cadre. Apart from neutralising terrorists of this proscribed outfit, a large cache of arms and ammunition has also been recovered by the security agencies in multiple operations carried out against JKGF.

In February 2021, a top JKGF terrorist, Sher Ali of Mehndar Poonch, was arrested at Jammu Airport after he had arrived from Kuwait via Mumbai. With his arrest, police and security forces were able to bust a major terror plot in Jammu, as other members of the organisation were also subsequently arrested and arms and ammunition were also recovered.

With the addition of JKGF, the number of organisations that are declared terrorist organisations has gone up to 43 in Jammu and Kashmir.