Indian government bans another pro-freedom Kashmiri political party

On 13th March, the BJP-led Indian government banned a non-violent pro-freedom political party, Jammu Kashmir National Front (JKNF), led by incarcerated pro-freedom leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan.

The government declared Jammu and Kashmir National Front as an “Unlawful Association”, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), thereby criminalizing its activities and legitimizing the detention of its members. In addition to this, the properties of the members of the party may also be seized now under the UAPA, which enables the state to make use of multiplicity of repressive mechanisms against political dissidents and pro-freedom activists. 

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs banned the JKNF, a constituent of the pro-freedom amalgam called All Parties Hurriyat Conference, under the UAPA for five years with immediate effect.

The Home Affairs Ministry stated the JKNF had been involved in pro-freedom activities, which the Ministry claimed were “prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty, and security of India.”

Nayeem Khan has been under illegal incarceration for more than six consecutive years, currently lodged in the infamous Tihar Jail of New Delhi.

Other prominent banned pro-freedom organizations include Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Dukhtaran-e-Millat (an all women’s organization), Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, and Muslim League. After the ban, the Indian state initiates the mass-incarceration of members of these organizations, confiscation of their properties and offices, and intimidation of their sympathizers.