Islamabad, The All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) has openly criticized the Indian government’s continuous application of repressive tactics and the illegal prohibition of political entities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), viewing these actions as efforts to mute the political discourse of Kashmiris.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government has recently expanded its crackdown on the Kashmiri political voice by outlawing additional pro-freedom organizations, including the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples League and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League. This crackdown also includes the extension of the ban on the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) for another five years.
Leaders of the APHC-AJK, including Convener Mehmood Ahmed Saghar and notable figures such as Sheikh Abdul Mateen, Imtiaz Wani, and others, have stated from Islamabad that such bans on peace and freedom-loving parties will not sever the Kashmiri populace’s steadfast commitment to their legitimate demand for self-determination. They labeled the Indian government’s actions as explicit acts of terrorism in IIOJK, asserting that the Indian strategy of suppression through violence, torture, and political banning has not quelled the Kashmiri spirit for liberation.
The group also called on the United Nations Human Rights Council and international human rights organizations to address the issue of Indian state-sponsored terrorism in the region.
In a separate statement, JKLF’s Chief Spokesman Muhammad Rafiq Dar condemned the continued prohibition of his party, denouncing it as unjust, undemocratic, and unlawful. He highlighted the silencing effect this ban has on popular political expression in Jammu and Kashmir, reminding that the Indian government had previously banned JKLF in March 2019 and detained its leadership, including Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik, under charges they claim are fabricated and politically motivated.
Similarly, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, a senior leader in the APHC-AJK and Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League, criticized the Indian government for the ban on his party, emphasizing its long-standing advocacy for Kashmiri self-determination in accordance with the UN Charter. He also lamented the prohibitions on other groups like Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir and the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, asserting that such measures cannot alter the conflict’s nature or deter the Kashmiri people from pursuing their right to self-determination.