NIA Court Declares Pak Based Terror Funding Accused a Proclaimed Offender: Reports
SRINAGAR: A special NIA court in Jammu has declared Pakistan‑based militant Mushtaq Ahmad Mir a proclaimed offender, marking a significant development in the 2022 terror‑funding investigation linked to Al‑Huda Education Trust (AHET) and the banned Jamaat‑e‑Islami.
The order came after repeated attempts to secure Mir’s presence failed, with the court noting that he had neither responded to summons nor appeared despite non‑bailable warrants, public notices and newspaper proclamations.
Mir, originally a resident of Thanamang village in frontier Rajouri district’s Darhal tehsil, crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in 1995–96 to join militant ranks and is believed to be operating from Pakistan and Pakistan‑occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Special Judge Prem Sagar, presiding over the NIA Court, issued the proclamation under Section 84 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), observing that there was no immediate prospect of Mir’s arrest despite sustained efforts by the agency.
The NIA’s case alleges that AHET continued raising and channelling funds to Jamaat‑e‑Islami, Jammu and Kashmir even after the organisation was outlawed in February 2019. In August 2025, the same court framed charges against three accused—including Mir and AHET—over alleged fundraising and utilisation of funds for activities of the banned outfit.
The proclamation against Mir comes close on the heels of another major development last week, when the Special NIA Court declared Nazir Hussain—another Pakistan‑based accused—a proclaimed offender. Hussain is wanted in a grenade‑smuggling conspiracy unearthed in Surankote of J&K’s Poonch district in October 2024. Investigators say the grenade consignment was sent from across the border by Hussain, who reportedly uses multiple aliases such as Ali Khan, Nasir, Naziru and Shaheen, to facilitate blasts in the frontier region.
Despite non‑bailable warrants, newspaper notices and gazette notifications, Hussain failed to appear before the court. Execution reports submitted by the NIA stated that he had absconded to Pakistan, prompting the court to conclude that he had deliberately evaded arrest. After hearing the agency’s plea, the Special Judge declared him a proclaimed offender under Section 84 of the BNSS.
“With two cross‑border accused now formally declared proclaimed offenders within a span of days, the NIA’s crackdown underscores the persistent challenge of terror networks operating from across the LoC and the legal measures being deployed to counter their influence,” an official said.
