SRINAGAR: The Union govt banned Monday two Kashmir-based organisations — Awami Action Committee (AAC) and J&K Ittehadul Muslimeen (JKIM) — for five years under the stringent UAPA, citing threats to national security and sovereignty. The home ministry said both groups were engaged in activities advocating the secession of Kashmir from India.
AAC is led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s chief cleric and head of the moderate separatist faction of All Parties Hurriyat Conference. JKIM is headed by Masroor Abbas Ansari, son of a slain separatist leader.
Union home minister Amit Shah posted on X that the two “organisations were found inciting people to cause law and order situations, posing a threat to the unity and integrity of Bharat”. He warned that “anyone found involved in activities against the nation’s peace, order, and sovereignty is bound to face the crushing blow of Modi govt”.
Mirwaiz condemned the ban, calling it “a continuation of the policy of intimidation and disempowerment that is being followed towards J&K since August 2019”. He said AAC, founded by his father in 1964, had consistently advocated for the aspirations and rights of Kashmiris through “completely non-violent and democratic methods”.
PDP chief and ex-CM Mehbooba Mufti also criticised the govt’s move, calling it “another blow to Kashmir’s social and political landscape”. She urged the Union territory govt led by CM Omar Abdullah’s NC to intervene, saying: “Suppressing dissent will only deepen tensions rather than resolve them.”