Big decision on those who helped Lashkar terrorist, court sentenced 15 years of rigorous imprisonment – Read

The Delhi-based National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court on Friday sentenced two overground workers (OGWs) of the banned Pakistan Army-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist organization to a maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment under RC-11/2016/NIA/DLI. They were accused of providing shelter, food and logistics support to a heavily armed Pakistani terrorist who had infiltrated into Kashmir in 2016 with the intention of spreading terror.

The two accused, identified as Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazir Ahmed Peer, residents of Handwara in Kashmir’s Kupwara district, have been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment each under Section 18 and Section 19 of the UA(P) Act and an additional nine years’ imprisonment under Section 39 of the same Act. These sentences will run concurrently. A fine of Rs 200 crore has also been imposed on both of them. A fine of Rs 50,000 has been imposed under each of these sections, making the total fine on each accused Rs 1,50,000.

A big conspiracy of Lashkar-e-Taiba

This case pertains to a larger conspiracy of Lashkar-e-Taiba, under which Pakistani national and trained terrorist Bahadur Ali alias Saifullah, along with other terrorists, had infiltrated into Indian territory in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. This heavily armed terrorist group had sophisticated weapons, ammunition, explosives, navigation equipment, night vision equipment and communication equipment.

Instructions to carry out terrorist activities

While on Indian territory, the terrorist group was in constant touch with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and its Lashkar-e-Taiba handlers based in Pakistan. Terrorists were receiving continuous instructions to carry out terrorist activities within India. They had planned to carry out a series of terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India including Delhi.

However, their plan failed as Bahadur Ali was arrested on 25 July 2016, while two other infiltrator terrorists, Abu Saad and Abu Darda, were later killed in an encounter with security forces.

Charge sheet filed against Bahadur Ali

In January 2017, NIA had filed a chargesheet against accused Bahadur Ali. After confessing to the crime, Bahadur Ali was convicted in March 2021 and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment under various sections of the IPC, UA(P) Act, Explosives Act, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and Foreigners Act.

Provide shelter, food and other logistical support

During further investigation the role of Zahoor Ahmed Peer and Nazir Ahmed Peer came to light and NIA found that they had provided safe shelter, food and other logistics support to the Pakistani terrorist. Both of them also helped Bahadur Ali by arranging his meetings with other Pakistani terrorists in the Kashmir Valley.

Chargesheet filed in 2018

These two men were identified and arrested in September 2017. NIA filed charge sheet against him in March 2018. The court convicted him on December 18, 2025 and sentenced him today, which has dealt a huge blow to the OGW network that harbors Pakistani terrorists in Kashmir.