Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan on Wednesday condemned Indian authorities’ decision to declare two organizations of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as “unlawful associations”.
A day earlier, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs declared the Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee, headed by Kashmiri chief cleric and Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and the Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen, headed by Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, as “unlawful association” for the next 5 years.
In 2024, Indian authorities had declared several political parties as “unlawful associations” as well, bringing the total of banned political parties to fourteen in the occupied valley.
“Pakistan denounces the Indian authorities’ decision to declare the AAM and JKIM as ‘Unlawful Association’ for a period of 5years,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“The AAM is led by a prominent political and religious leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The JKIM was also established by another renowned political and religious leader, Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, who headed it till his demise in 2022,” the statement added.
It further said that the recent decision increases the total number of banned Kashmiri political parties and organizations to sixteen.
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Outlawing of different political parties and organizations is yet another manifestation of the Indian authorities’ iron-fisted approach in the occupied valley, the FO said.
The statement added that it reflected a desire to suppress political activities and stifle dissent in IIOJK.
It also shows sheer disregard of democratic principles and international human rights law, the statement noted.
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The Government of India is urged to remove the restrictions on the Kashmiri political parties; free all the political prisoners; and faithfully implement the UNSC resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, the statement concluded.
