Shahzad Bhatti Network declared a terrorist outfit under UAPA: What to know about Pakistan-based group

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the government has designated the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Shah said the move was in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of maintaining zero tolerance towards terrorism.

"The group is involved in smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics across borders, apart from inciting youths and petty criminals into terrorism. Targeting India's democratic structure and the fabric of communal harmony, the syndicate also published hateful digital content," the minister said on X.

The Union Home Ministry issued a gazette notification on Wednesday under Section 35(1)(a) of the UAPA, formally adding "Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN)" to the Act's First Schedule, which contains the list of organisations designated as terrorist groups.

The Centre said the designation followed its assessment that the SBN was involved in "terrorism and has participated in various acts of terrorism in India."

What is Shahzad Bhatti Network?

According to the MHA, the Pakistan-based, ISI-backed SBN terror network has been linked to grenade, IED and petrol bomb attacks as well as targeted killings in different parts of India. The group has also allegedly paid local operatives to conduct reconnaissance of police, defence and religious sites and install CCTV cameras for espionage purposes.

The notification says, "'Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN)' is an organisation whose objective is to involve gullible youth and local criminals to smuggle arms, explosives, and narcotics from across the border, and through terrorist activities, pose a serious threat to the democratic system, communal harmony, and internal security of the country."

The SBN seeks to "radicalising gullible youth" by providing inducements, encouraging them to engage in anti-national activities and gathering resources for such acts in coordination with other banned organisations and entities with similar designations, as per the notification.

"And whereas, the 'Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN)' is promoting terrorism through violent activities that disrupt public order and by using various digital communication platforms to disseminate provocative messages, posing a serious challenge to the integrity of the nation," the notification read.

SBN becomes 46th organisation on UAPA terror list

The inclusion of SBN in the UAPA's First Schedule officially places the group among organisations designated as "terrorist" under Indian law. It is the 46th organisation to be added to the list.

The notification also referred to criminal cases registered against individuals allegedly linked to SBN under several laws, including the UAPA, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Arms Act, Explosives Act, Information Technology Act and Prevention of Defacement of Property Act.

Who is Shahzad Bhatti?

Bhatti, 45, is a Lahore resident currently based in Dubai and is wanted in connection with several investigations in India. A PTI report citing sources said his alleged association with the 2022 killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala and his rivalry with groups affiliated with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi are among the key aspects of his alleged criminal activities.

According to sources mentioned in the report, Bhatti allegedly supplied the weapons used in Moosewala's killing. He was also accused of having a role in the 2024 murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique. Sources said he helped Zeeshan Akhtar, who is considered a key accused in the case, leave India and relocate to Azerbaijan.

Multi-state crackdown

The latest designation comes nearly a month after security agencies conducted a coordinated operation against the SBN network across 14 states ahead of Independence Day. The operation, aimed at preventing planned subversive activities, resulted in more than 200 arrests, according to the government.

The multi-state crackdown saw 253 people detained across the 14 states, with more than 80 FIRs registered and over 200 arrests linked to the SBN under the Centre's stated policy of 'zero tolerance' towards cross-border terrorism.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the operation was conducted on August 12 in coordination with state police forces and involved a real-time intelligence-sharing mechanism to disrupt activities allegedly linked to the SBN around Independence Day.

The detentions included 62 people in Uttar Pradesh, 52 in Haryana, 51 in Delhi, 44 in Punjab, 15 in Rajasthan, eight in Maharashtra, five in Uttarakhand, and three each in Karnataka, Gujarat and Bihar. Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala recorded two detentions each. Fresh FIRs were also registered in Delhi and Karnataka.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X

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