The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has condemned the Indian government’s ban on the Jammu and Kashmir National Front (JKNF), led by the detained senior APHC leader Nayeem Ahmed Khan, as a brazen act of state terrorism in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesperson Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement in Srinagar, condemned the ban as yet another act of terrorism by the BJP-led Indian government against pro-freedom organizations in Kashmir.
Nayeem Ahmed Khan and other APHC leaders have been detained since 2017, and the BJP-led government has been resorting to various tactics to divert international attention from its atrocities in the disputed territory, he added.
The spokesperson said that Narendra Modi-led Indian government is deliberately escalating tensions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir through such anti-Kashmiris’ measures for political gains in upcoming general elections.
He said the ban on JKNF, along with previous bans on other political parties in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, such as Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir and Democratic Freedom Party, as a concerted effort by the BJP-RSS Hindutva government to suppress Kashmiris’ demand for self-determination.
The APHC also highlighted the attachment of its office in Rajbagh, Srinagar, by the BJP government, stating that such actions speak volumes about India’s dictatorial way of handling things in IIOJK.
The statement called on the United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and European Union to intervene and prevent India from imposing bans on political parties striving for a resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions.
Meanwhile, Democratic Freedom Party’s Advocate Arshad Iqbal while denouncing the New Delhi’s decision to ban DFP, stated that it goes against the principles of democracy. He reiterated that Indian laws do not apply in occupied Jammu and Kashmir due to its disputed status, and emphasized the peaceful resolve sought by JKNF in line with UN resolutions.
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference-AJK (APHC-AJK) Convener Mehmood Ahmed Sahgar in a statement in Islamabad said the banning of pro-freedom parties and the attachment of their properties by the BJP-led Hindutva government of India will not stifle the voices advocating for right to self-determination in Kashmir. He emphasized that despite these oppressive measures, Kashmiris remain committed to voicing their demands for social, religious, and political rights, including the right to self-determination as recognized by United Nations resolutions.
Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, Senior APHC AJK leader in a statement denounced the ban imposed on Jammu & Kashmir National Front led by Nayeem Khan saying that this is tantamount to further deprive the people of their political rights, when previously different pro freedom parties had been banned or the prohibiting orders had been extended against them.
APHC-AJK leader Altaf Hussain Wani in a statement termed India’s declaration of the National Front an unlawful association as a violation of democratic rights. He rejected Indian laws in Kashmir and urged global intervention against the suppression of political dissent by the BJP regime in IIOJK.—KMS
