Months after a court in north Kashmir's Baramulla district declared Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen chief Mohammad Yousuf Shah, alias Syed Salahuddin, as a proclaimed offender, a special court designated under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act in Srinagar on Wednesday issued a proclamation against the globally designated terrorists.
A proclamation was issued against four accused persons, including banned Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin, in a 1996 terror-related case after they allegedly failed to appear before the court.
Additional Sessions Judge (TADA/POTA) and Special Judge designated under the NIA Act, Manjit Rai, ordered the issuance of the proclamation under the Indian Civil Procedure Code (BNSS), 2023. The court held that the four accused are absconding and deliberately evading arrest.
Proclamation issued against these accused
The proclamation has been issued against Syed Salahuddin, Ghulam Nabi Khan, Sher Mohammad, and Nasir Yusuf Qadri, who are accused under an FIR registered at Police Station CIK, Srinagar. According to the prosecution, the case was registered on April 5, 1996. It was reported that Pakistani intelligence agencies were allegedly inciting Kashmiri youth to join terrorist organizations and receive cross-border training to wage war against India. The investigation alleges that Salahuddin played a key role in inciting the youth to this end by giving inflammatory speeches.
Warrant issued in February
The court noted that arrest warrants had already been issued against the accused on February 26, 2026. Reports from police, field officers, village officials, and local representatives indicated that the accused were not residing at their known addresses and were hiding to avoid arrest. After examining the material on record, the court concluded that the legal requirements for issuing the proclamation had been met. The court directed all four accused to appear before the court on or before July 14, 2026.
Instructions for Publication of Proclamation
The Court directed the Investigating Officer and the Station House Officer of Police Station CIK Srinagar to publish the proclamation in accordance with the law. This includes public reading, affixing it at the residences of the accused and the court premises, and publishing it in newspapers circulating in the areas where the accused normally reside. The investigating agency has been directed to file a compliance report after completing the proclamation process.
Fled to Pakistan during peak of terrorism
Syed Salahudin fled to Pakistan in 1993, during the peak of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. He was designated an individual terrorist by India in October 2020 and continues to operate from Pakistan, where he is alleged to be guiding and instructing Hizbul Mujahideen cadres as well as operatives of the United Jihad Council (UJC), also known as the Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC)—an umbrella body of nearly 13 Pakistan-based, Kashmir-centric terror outfits.
Apart from instigating and operationalising terror activities in India, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, he is accused of raising funds and routing finances through trade routes, hawala channels, and international money transfer networks to sustain militant operations.
Over the years, Indian agencies have accused him of orchestrating terror attacks, funding terrorism, and directing cross-border terrorism from Pakistani soil.
In 2017, the United States designated Salahudin as a global terrorist, citing his role in directing militant violence in Jammu and Kashmir.
