India Declares Jaish-e-Mohammed Handlers Masood Ilyas Kashmiri and Mohammad Mussadiq as Designated Terrorists Under UAPA
NEW DELHI JULY 04,2026 :- In a major crackdown on cross-border terrorism, the Government of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs has officially designated two high-level Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operatives, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri and Mohammad Mussadiq, as individual terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. According to official extraordinary gazette notifications issued from New Delhi on July 4, 2026, the Central Government exercised its powers under Section 35 of the UAPA to add both Pakistani nationals to the Fourth Schedule of the Act.
As detailed in the official, 41-year-old Masood Ilyas Kashmiri (also known by aliases including Mufti Masood Ilyas and Abu Mohammad), a resident of Rawalkot in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), has been designated as terrorist serial number 58. The notification outlines his role as a senior JeM functionary responsible for recruiting youth, imparting terror training, and facilitating the infiltration of terrorists into India. He is explicitly linked to multiple terror incidents causing casualties, including the April 22, 2022, attack on security forces in Sunjwan, Jammu.
Concurrently, the government designated 38-year-old Mohammad Mussadiq (alias Doctor, Abdul Manan, Sajjad, Hamza, or Wahid Khan) as terrorist serial number 59. A resident of Shakargarh in the Narowal district of Pakistan, Mussadiq is identified as a primary handler for JeM infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir. Beyond his direct involvement in the 2022 Sunjwan security forces attack, intelligence reveals he has been coordinating a wide array of hostile operations, including smuggling arms and ammunition across the border using drones, planning localized terror strikes, and managing a dedicated team of JeM cyber players who leverage social media platforms to radicalize and recruit Indian youth.