New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday designated the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) as a banned terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In an official gazette notification invoking Section 35(1)(a) of the legislation, the Centre formally added the outfit to the First Schedule of the Act at serial number 46, bringing the syndicate under severe statutory prohibitions. Union Home Minister Amit Shah confirmed the decision, stating that the ban aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s zero-tolerance policy against terrorism and transnational crime networks targeting national security.
According to the Home Ministry notification, the cross-border syndicate operates with the objective of radicalizing vulnerable youth and recruiting local petty criminals to smuggle arms, ammunition, high-grade explosives, and narcotics across international borders. Security agencies emphasized that the outfit collaborates with other banned organizations and uses digital communication platforms to propagate hate content and incite communal disharmony, posing a direct threat to India’s democratic structure and internal security. Multiple criminal cases have been registered against associated operatives under the UAPA, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Arms Act, Explosives Act, Information Technology Act, and Prevention of Defacement of Property Act.
The formal proscription follows extensive inter-agency operations carried out on the eve of Independence Day, during which security and intelligence forces dismantled major logistical hubs operated by the syndicate across the country. The nationwide multi-state crackdown led to the preventive detention of more than 253 individuals across 14 states, resulting in over 80 formal FIRs and more than 200 arrests. The designation as a terrorist entity enables central enforcement authorities to systematically freeze assets, block digital communication nodes, and prosecute network associates under stringent anti-terror provisions.
