KARACHI: Pakistan on Wednesday denounced the Indian decision to declare two organisations of India-held Kashmir as “unlawful associations”, according to a Foreign Office statement.

A day earlier, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs declared the Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Com­m­­ittee (AAC), hea­ded by Kashmiri chief cleric and Hurriyat leader Mir­waiz Umar Farooq, and the Jammu and Kashmir Ittih­adul Musl­imeen (JKIM), headed by Maulana Moha­mmad Abbas Ansari, as “unlawful association” for the next five years, The Hindu reported.

“Pakistan denounces the Indian authorities’ decision to declare the AAC and JKIM as ‘Unlawful Association’ for a period of five years,” the statement said, according to a Dawn.com report.

“The AAC is led by a prominent political and religious leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The JKIM was also founded by another notable political and religious leader, Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, who headed Ban on parties Last year, too, Indian authorities had declared several political parties as “unlawful associations”, bringing the total of banned political parties to 14 in the occupied region. The decision was denounced by the FO at that time as well. It said that the recent decision increases the total number of outlawed Kashmiri political parties and organisations to 16.

“Banning of different political parties and organisations is yet another manifestation of the Indian authorities’ iron-fisted approach in the IIOJK [Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir],” the FO said.

The statement noted that it reflected a desire to suppress political activities and stifle dissent in the region. It also showed sheer disregard for democratic norms and international human rights law, it added.

“The Government of India is urged to remove the curbs on the Kashmiri political parties; release all the political prisoners; and faithfully implement the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement concluded.

Unrest in region

While addressing an Iftar dinner, AJK President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry said it was high time that the international community come forward in a big way to help resolve the lingering Kashmir dispute that has been the main cause and consequence of unrest and human rights violations in the region.

He also drew the attention of ambassadors of Muslim co­u­ntries towards the dire situation in India-held Kashmir seeking their countries’ pivotal role to resolve the longstanding dispute peacefully. He said Muslim nations had always supported the Kashmiris’ legitimate right to self-det­ermination. He expressed the hope that the Ummah wo­uld continue its role in ensuring the right of self-determination.

“It is our collective responsibility to utilise our freedom to speak for our brothers and sisters in occupied Kashmir whose voice has been suppressed under the draconian laws,” he added.

Recently, the FO had also rejected the unwarranted remarks by India’s External Affairs Minister Subrah­manyam Jaishankar on AJK as “baseless claims” and reiterated the demand that India vacate the illegally occupied areas of Kashmir.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025