Press Trust Of kashmir
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a supplementary charge sheet on Tuesday against three individuals associated with ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF), an offshoot of the banned Lashkar-Taiba (LeT), for plotting terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
The accused include Habibullah Malik, also known as ‘Sajid Jutt,’ from Pakistan’s Kasur district, and two south Kashmir residents, Hilal Yaqoob Deva (”Sethi Soab”) and Musiab Fayaz Baba (”Shoaib Zarar”) of Shopian. Charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Malik has been implicated in various terrorist attacks in the Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu.
The supplementary charge sheet follows investigations initiated by the NIA on June 21 last year. The case involves a conspiracy planned physically and in cyberspace by proscribed terrorist organizations to instill fear, spread terror, and disrupt peace in Jammu and Kashmir, utilizing tactics such as sticky bombs, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and small arms.
Investigations revealed that the accused trio conspired to carry out terrorist attacks on security forces and others in Jammu and Kashmir, intending to wage war against the Government of India. Malik, identified as an active commander of the Pakistan-based TRF, played a key role in motivating vulnerable Kashmiri youth to join TRF and LeT for terrorist activities in the region.
The spokesperson alleged that Malik radicalized Hilal and Musiab, who subsequently worked as Over Ground Workers (OGWs) under his direction. These OGWs were involved in collecting and transporting funds and weapons to facilitate and support terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
The entire conspiracy, as per the spokesperson, aligns with the broader plans of 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 Jammu and Kashmir.
Amid the emergence of new outfits affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, and Al-Qaeda, the NIA has intensified its crackdown and investigations in the region. Groups such as TRF, United Liberation Front Jammu and Kashmir, Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind, Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters, Kashmir Tigers, PAAF, and others are currently under scrutiny.
