Islamabad, The All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) chapter has expressed strong condemnation of the ban imposed on the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference by the BJP-led Indian government. This action is seen as the latest in a series of measures to suppress the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people and consolidate control over the disputed territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Indian Home Ministry’s notification, issued yesterday, declared the Muslim Conference Jammu and Kashmir, led by Prof Abdul Ghani Butt and another faction led by Ghulam Nabi Sumji, as unlawful organizations under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for five years. The APHC-AJK, through its Convener Mehmood Ahmad Saghar and leaders like Altaf Hussain Wani, Shaikh Abdul Mateen, Imtiyaz Wani, Zahid Safi, and Adeel Mushtaq Wani, articulated that this move is a continuation of the Modi regime’s campaign to quell the Kashmiri’s fight for self-determination, muzzle dissent, and legitimize its occupation.
The leaders described the banning of a political entity on baseless allegations as an affront to democratic values, emphasizing that such suppressive tactics cannot silence the quest for justice. They argued that these actions contravene democratic principles, human rights, and international humanitarian law, insisting that India’s attempts to stifle the Kashmiri movement through political sanctions and repression are doomed to fail.
The APHC-AJK reiterated the international recognition of Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory and declared that India’s oppressive measures cannot change this status nor deter the Kashmiris’ resolve to achieve their right to self-determination. The leaders called upon international bodies, including the United Nations, European Union, and Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to intervene and protect the people of IIOJK from the Indian government’s aggression and to work towards resolving the Kashmir conflict in accordance with UN resolutions, aiming for peace and stability in the region.