Guwahati: Ahmad Ahanger, also known as Abu Usman Al-Kashmiri is the chief of the Islamic State (IS) recruitment unit for India. The Union government has designated him as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.
The terrorist from Jammu and Kashmir who was born in Srinagar, is currently based in Afghanistan and is one of the chief recruiters of Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK).
Ministry of Home Affairs announced in a Wednesday notification, saying “Ahmad Ahanger alias Abu Usman Al-Kashmiri is involved in terrorism and he is to be added as a terrorist under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967”.
Ahanger, who was born in 1974 in Nawakadal, Srinagar has strong ties to Al-Qaida and other international terrorist organisations and is working to reopen Islamic State (IS) networks in India, according to the notification.
Ahanger has begun the process of identifying individuals to include in his Kashmir-based network in an effort to give militancy in Kashmir more traction.
“Ahanger was appointed as head of Islamic State (IS) recruitment cell for India and had been instrumental in initiating an online India-centric ISIS Propaganda Magazine,” said the notification.
According to the MHA announcement, Ahanger has been a wanted terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir for more than 20 years and has begun devising terror-related plans there by creating lines of communication amongst various terrorist organisations.
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967 was passed to address dealing with terrorist acts and issues related to them as well as to more effectively prevent some unlawful activities of people and organisations.
If the Center suspects a person is implicated in terrorism, it may add his name to the Fourth Schedule of the Act under clause (a) of sub-sections (1) and (2) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.