Home Ministry bans Indian subcontinent units of Al Qaida and ISIS

The groups have been promoting and encouraging terrorist acts on the Indian interests, noted the Home Ministry.

The Union Home Ministry has banned terror outfit Al Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and all its subsidiary groups under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. A notification in this regard was issued by the Home Ministry on June 19, 2018.

The notification issued by the Home Ministry said, “The 'Al-Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)', an affiliate of ‘Al-Qaida (AQ)’, is a terrorist organisation, which has committed acts of terrorism in the neighbouring countries, has been promoting and encouraging terrorist acts on the Indian interests in the Indian Sub-continent and has been attempting radicalisation and recruitment of youth from India.”

Home Ministry’s notification has also banned Islamic State in Khorasan Province/ISIS Wilayat Khorasan, an Afghanistan-based affiliate of the ISIS, pointing that it “promotes and encourages” terrorism in the Indian Sub-continent.

According to the Home Ministry, the outfit “has been committing terrorist acts to consolidate its position by recruiting youth for 'global jihad' and to achieve the objective of establishing its own 'caliphate' by overthrowing democratically elected Governments and considers India and the Indian interests as its targets and is engaged in activities of radicalising and recruiting Indian youth for terrorist activities”.

Here's an excerpt from the notification issued by Home Ministry:

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967) (hereinafter referred to as the said Act) has been enacted to provide for more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations and for dealing with terrorist activities and for matters connected therewith; And whereas, under clause (m) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the said Act, 'terrorist organisation' means an organisation listed in the First Schedule to the said Act or an organisation operating under the same name as an organisation so listed;

And whereas, the First Schedule to the said Act contains the list of such terrorist organisations; And whereas, the 'Al-Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)', an affiliate of `Al-Qaida (AQ)', is a terrorist organisation, which has committed acts of terrorism in the neighbouring countries, has been promoting and encouraging terrorist acts on the Indian interests in the Indian Sub-continent and has been attempting radicalisation and recruitment of youth from India;

And whereas the "Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP)/ISIS Wilayat Khorasan/Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham-Khorasan (ISIS-K)", an Afghanistan based affiliate of ISIS, is a terrorist organisation, which promotes and encourages terrorism in the Indian Sub-continent and has been committing terrorist acts to consolidate its position by recruiting youth for 'global jihad' and to achieve the objective of establishing its own 'caliphate' by overthrowing democratically elected Governments and considers India and the Indian interests as its targets and is engaged in activities of radicalising and recruiting Indian youth for terrorist activities.