India's Ministry of Home Affairs has formally designated a top Jaish-e-Mohammed handler as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, better known as UAPA. Security agencies have identified him as Mohammad Musaddiq, the man accused of arranging reconnaissance of the Ram Temple complex in Ayodhya and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters in Nagpur.
Who is Mohammad Musaddiq
According to the Home Ministry, Musaddiq is a Pakistani national aged around 38. To keep his real identity hidden, he has operated under several aliases, including Doctor, Abdul Manan, Sajjad, Hamza and Wahid Khan. Agencies say he has for years managed the infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir, relying on tunnels built in border areas with the help of terrorists and their local facilitators.
From reconnaissance to a plot to smuggle weapons
Investigators say Musaddiq arranged recce operations not just at the Ram Temple complex but also at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur and the Indian Oil Corporation Limited, IOCL, refinery in Panipat, Haryana. After the recce, he passed on sensitive details about all three locations to his handlers based in Pakistan. Agencies believe Jaish-e-Mohammed was using this information to plan a major terror strike inside India, and had even attempted to send weapons and ammunition into the country using drones as part of the plot.
Infiltration commander linked to the Sunjwan attack
Musaddiq has also been described as the launching commander of the Lasiyakot sector in Jammu and Kashmir, meaning he oversaw the planning and monitoring of infiltration routes. His name has been linked to the attack on security forces at Sunjwan in Jammu on 22 April 2022, an assault carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists.
Radicalising youth through social media
Agencies say Musaddiq's role went beyond infiltration. He also used social media to lure young people into joining Jaish-e-Mohammed, running a dedicated cyber team that handled online recruitment and propaganda for the outfit.
What the UAPA designation means now
With the government designating him a terrorist under UAPA, Indian agencies can now take strict legal action against his network, his financial dealings, his facilitators and the wider system built around him. The Home Ministry has described the move as part of its zero tolerance policy against terrorism. Several other individuals linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba have also been declared terrorists as part of the same crackdown, aimed at hitting the entire network plotting against India in one sweep.
