00:00Big news coming in at this moment and the official confirmation coming in from none less than the Union Home
00:05Minister himself.
00:06The Bhatti network has been added to the UAPA list of banned organizations.
00:11That's right, the Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terror-handler network has been added to the UAPA's list of banned organizations
00:17according to a government order.
00:19Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, just posted and I quote,
00:22Perseuing Prime Minister Narendra Modiji's vision for zero tolerance against terror, the MHS declared that the Shahzad Bhatti network is
00:29a terrorist organization under the UAPA.
00:32The group is involved in smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics across borders.
00:37Apart from inciting youths and petty criminals into terrorism, targeting India's democratic structure and the fabric of communal harmony, the
00:44syndicate also published eight full digital content.
00:46Shahzad Bhatti, the key figure in the ISI's terror gangster network, is a gangster of Pakistani origin whom the ISI
00:52revealed.
00:52Included for terrorist activities in India.
00:55Let me go across to my senior colleague, Gauras Savant, joining us from the newsroom.
00:59Gauras Savant, it was on India first that we had first broken the news of how the government was unraveling
01:05the details of this high terror hydra known as the Shahzad Bhatti network.
01:09And today the big news break of this being put under the UAPA list of banned organizations.
01:15Ritanshu, you're spot on.
01:1714 statewide raids had been carried out across the length and breadth of our country from Kerala, Karnataka in the
01:25south to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu Kashmir, Punjab.
01:28And Punjab is where the first series of raids started because Shahzad Bhatti, sitting in the United Arab Emirates, used
01:36social media platforms.
01:38I mean, he claimed to be a social media influencer, but basically was a front of Pakistan's ISI and would
01:45pay 5,000 to 8,000 rupees initially just to get photographs of military installations, strategic installations,
01:53or even movement of trains and railway stations and military convoys and subsequently started transferring money to carry out grenade
02:01attack on military installations.
02:03So, it was a widespread terror network.
02:05He was the front influencing youth in India through social media platforms and indoctrinating them, paying them money and asking
02:13them to carry out terror strikes or low intensity attacks.
02:17Now, the nature of money flow was so low that it often didn't come on radar until a series of
02:24investigations started and there were raids that were carried out in 14 states.
02:29Several people were taken into custody.
02:31Several others are still being interrogated.
02:33So, this is a very major step to scientifically and systematically move against this terror network and then seek action.
02:41Pakistan will not act against these, but their movement across West Asia, there will be an attempt, whether it's UAE
02:49or elsewhere, and to ensure that they can no longer use the financial network to operate and use terror.
02:56And, Gaurav, take us through how, from a security point of view, this was really imperative, given the fact that,
03:01if I'm not mistaken, Shaizad Bhatti has named his organization, the Tariq-e-Taliban Hindustan.
03:06And this was, these posters were even put up in several states, especially in Punjab, where the group was orchestrating
03:12targeted killings here.
03:13Given the fact that Punjab has elections coming on the, just around the corner, this was a very necessary step
03:19to ensure law and order in that state.
03:21Spot on. You're absolutely right.
03:23They started with Punjab.
03:25You'd recall police personnel were targeted.
03:28RSS functionaries were targeted.
03:30Political leaders were targeted.
03:32The aim was to ensure that there's unrest in Punjab ahead of elections.
03:37And then the electorate, you know, votes in a certain way.
03:41That's point one.
03:42Point two.
03:43Posters that were put up, Tariq-e-Taliban Hindustan, was a way to ensure that it cannot be linked back
03:48to Pakistan.
03:49The money trail exposed this network because money was then being transferred through West Asia into India to initially have
03:58young youth put up posters and then put up cameras.
04:02Cameras that have, you know, a mobile phone sim card in them that would transmit images directly and round the
04:09clock.
04:10Railway stations, military garrisons, military installations, the Jammu Highway.
04:15These are areas where military convoys keep moving.
04:18And that was assessment for Pakistan ISI to know what kind of military movement is taking place towards Jammu and
04:25Kashmir.
04:26So part of that network has been busted.
04:28But to ensure that they are not able to operate even internationally is the effort.
04:34So UAPA cases get registered now.
04:37Then UAE will be requested to take action.
04:40And India has very close cooperation with Gulf countries.
04:43And then pressure mounted on Pakistan through FATF to take action against these elements.
04:49And Gaurav, finally, it once again shows that Pakistan's tactic of using the underworld and the underworld gang networks for
04:56terror against India continues right from Davoj days, from what the nation has seen through Dhurandar about how the Liyari
05:02gangs were used for terror funding against India.
05:04It seems it continues with Shahzad Bhatti.
05:06And it's good that the government of India has finally acknowledged that and is taking proactive steps in that direction.
05:12You know, you've hit the nail on its head.
05:14Ritanshu, unfortunately, it wasn't done.
05:171993, Mumbai serial blast, when 257 people were killed.
05:22What happened?
05:23Dawud Ibrahim Kaskar's smuggling network was used.
05:27Similarly, as you mentioned, the Liyari gang, whether it's funding or movement of weapons into our country,
05:34all of this has been done through the underworld and done through smuggler network,
05:38the same network that was incidentally used by Pakistan's ISI, the diamond and money smuggling network, through Punjab for the
05:45Pathanko terror attack.
05:47So the aim is to systematically identify these elements and take legal action against them
05:52and also ensure that they're not able to use even the Havala network.
05:56It's very difficult, but the aim is to crack down on their elements in India and the ones in West
06:02Asia.
06:03Absolutely.
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