The United States of America has backed India’s move to declare Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim as terrorists under the newly enacted UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act).
We stand w/ #India & commend it for utilizing new legal authorities to designate 4 notorious terrorists: Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi & Dawood Ibrahim. This new law expands possibilities for joint #USIndia efforts to combat scourge of terrorism. AGW
— State_SCA (@State_SCA) September 4, 2019
In a tweet, the United States Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) commended India for utilising the new legal authority to “designate four notorious terrorists”. “This new law expands possibilities for joint #USIndia efforts to combat scourge of terrorism,” the tweet signed by Acting Assistant Secretary Alice Wells read.
In a notification issued on September 4 by the Ministry of Home Affairs and signed by Piyush Goyal, Joint Secy, the announcement was made by the Government of India. Maulana Masood Azhar became the first person to be designated a terrorist under the amended UAPA.
The anti-terror UAPA Amendment Bill 2019 was recently passed by the Indian Parliament after Amit Shah took charge as the Home Minister of the country. Amidst considerable resistance by the Opposition parties, the Bill was passed to give greater power to the Indian government to combat terrorism.
Both Azhar and Hafiz Saeed are UN-designated global terrorists.
