SRINAGAR: India has banned two political groups in Kashmir it accused of promoting secessionism in the disputed Muslim-majority region, including one headed by the territory’s leading religious cleric.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947 and both countries claim it in full.
Tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and militants have been killed in the region since an insurgency began in 1989, with an estimated half a million Indian troops stationed there.
An order issued late on Tuesday by India’s home ministry declared the Awami Action Committee (AAC) an unlawful association under the country’s stringent anti-terror laws, banning it for five years.
It said the party’s activities were “prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security” of India and accused its members of “supporting terrorist activities and anti-India propaganda for fuelling secessionism”.
A separate ministry notification announced the five-year ban of the Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM).
It accused the group of “sheer disrespect towards the constitutional authority” and promoting Kashmir’s “secession” from India.
India has banned 10 political groups in the region since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government imposed direct rule on the region in 2019, cancelling its constitutionally guaranteed semi-autonomy.
Critics and many residents say that civil liberties have been drastically curtailed in the years since.
Amit Shah, India’s powerful interior minister, trumpeted the ban on social media and warned that those “involved in activities against the nation” would face the “crushing blow” of Modi’s government.
The AAC, led by cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was formed in 1964 in the aftermath of a huge campaign for Kashmir’s right to self-determination. It has never participated in periodic elections held in the region.
Farooq said the ban was a “continuation of the policy of intimidation and disempowerment” he accused Indian authorities of implementing in Kashmir in 2019.
“The voice of truth may be suppressed through force but will not be silenced,“ he wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Politicians from Kashmir’s pro-India political parties also criticised the ban in a rare act of solidarity with the separatist group.
Mehbooba Mufti, president of the People’s Democratic Party, warned that “suppressing dissent will only deepen tensions”.
Rebel groups have waged a decades-long campaign in Kashmir demanding either independence or a merger with Pakistan.
New Delhi regularly blames Pakistan for arming militants and helping them launch attacks, an allegation Islamabad denies.
