Karachi, The Pakistan Foreign Office has officially condemned the decision by Indian authorities to declare the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League (JKML) an unlawful association for a period of five years. This move, seen as part of a broader pattern of suppressing political voices in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), has drawn sharp criticism from Pakistan.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Foreign Office highlighted that JKML, led by the prominent Kashmiri leader Masarrat Alam Butt, is the latest in a series of political organizations banned in the region. Butt has been imprisoned for over 20 years. The JKML is the fifth Kashmiri party to be banned under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, following the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, and Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party. Additionally, the Office of All Parties Hurriyat Conference in Srinagar was sealed earlier this year.
The Foreign Office statement pointed out that the Kashmiri Hurriyat leadership is facing relentless persecution, including prolonged detention and confiscation of properties. It accused the Indian government of stifling dissent and disregarding democratic norms and international human rights and humanitarian law.
The statement further noted that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently rejected India’s tactics aimed at reinforcing its occupation. These actions, the Foreign Office argues, violate the United Nations Charter’s foundational principles, which affirm the fundamental rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, including their right to self-determination.
The Pakistan Foreign Office called on India to immediately lift the restrictions on the banned political parties in occupied Kashmir, release all political Kashmiri prisoners, and implement the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. This appeal reflects ongoing tensions and disagreements over the handling of the situation in IIOJK and the broader regional context of Kashmir.