The United States has praised India for declaring Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), both designated by Indian government as terror groups, and its leaders and three others as terrorists under a new anti-terror law, Anadolu Agency reported, quoting a US official.

“We stand with India and commend it for utilising new legal authorities to designate four notorious terrorists,” tweeted Acting Assistant Secretary of State South and Central Asian Affairs on Wednesday.

The Indian government designated Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar (left in photo above), Hafiz Saeed (on right) of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), his deputy Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim under the recently-amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or the UAPA.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs said: “Clause (a) of sub-section (1) of Section 35 of the said Act empowers the government to notify the name of an individual in the Fourth Schedule to the Act, if it believes that he is involved in terrorism.

According to an earlier UAPA law, only a group could be declared a terrorist organisation. But under the new amendments, the government can declare an individual as well.

Home Affairs mentioned five terror cases against Masood Azhar, including a Feb 14 attack in Pulwama, in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed.

- Bernama