Jammu, Jan 1: 23 terrorists from the Kishtwar district, who operate out of Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), were proclaimed offenders by a court in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, according to police. They have one month to appear before the Doda special Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) court in relation to cases filed against them; if they don’t, officials said, their properties will be attached. They said that with the court order on Monday, there are now 36 proclaimed offenders in Kishtwar.Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kishtwar, Khalil Poswal, told reporters, “In a significant move to address security challenges within the district, the UAPA special court in Doda has declared 23 terrorists from Kishtwar operating from Pakistan and PoJK as proclaimed offenders.” On September 16, the court declared thirteen terrorists to be proclaimed offenders, he said. “Pakistan and PoJK are home to 36 Kishtwar-born terrorists who conduct their operations there. They are the subject of two FIRs, he continued.Poswal stated that the Kishtwar police’s hard work in gathering vital information, filing FIRs against these terrorists, and painstakingly presenting all of the evidence in court made this possible. He said that these terrorists have been given a month by the court to appear before it. “Their properties will be attached under Section 82 of the Criminal Procedure Code if they don’t surrender before the law,” he said, adding that police had already identified the properties of 12 of them.The SSP stated that the court process to attach the properties of seven of the thirteen terrorists who were proclaimed offenders in September has been started. He declared that maintaining the safety and security of the district and following the law are the top priorities of the Kishtwar police. Poswal stated, “We are collaborating closely with law enforcement agencies to uphold due process and bring these people to justice.”
