Kashmir party ban

Although stated aims of banned parties and APHC faction are independence, they are considered to be more pro-Pakistan

New Delhi’s latest efforts to subvert the fledgling democratic system in Occupied Kashmir has seen it ban prominent political parties with pro-independence policies. The latest ban is against the Tehreek-i-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir (TeH), which was founded and led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani till his death in 2021. Geelani also led his own All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) faction, which analysts believe is the actual target of the ban, since Masarat Alam Bhat, who succeeded Geelani as the leader of Hurriyat, has seen his own party, Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction), being declared unlawful under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on December 27. Although the stated aims of the banned parties and Geelani’s APHC faction are independence, they are considered to be more pro-Pakistan than many other groupings, which may explain New Delhi’s higher degree of urgency in getting them out of the way.

Since the favourable ruling in the Article 370 case in the Indian Supreme Court, New Delhi has had a clean chit to conduct elections in Occupied Kashmir, which has been under direct rule since the Modi government revoked Article 370 and with that the disputed region’s special status under the Constitution of India. The Centre’s failure to even schedule polls suggested it was concerned about how to ensure its desired results. At least six parties — all with pro-independence leanings — have been banned in recent weeks.

It is also worth noting that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah explicitly said it was “forbidden to be involved in activities to separate Jammu and Kashmir from India”, which would suggest that India will soon list the UN as a terrorist outfit under the UAPA, since UN resolutions vis-a-vis Kashmir call for measures that could lead to the disputed region’s independence, or even its full merger with Pakistan. But the UN is not about to run in elections that could embarrass the BJP and expose how its failed attempts to suppress Kashmiris have actually increased anti-India sentiment in the illegally occupied region.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2024.

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