Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Vice President and Senator Sherry Rehman on Saturday condemned the Indian government’s ban on Kashmiri historical and resistance literature, terming it “the worst example of fascism.”
In a statement, Rehman said the move was a direct attack on the intellectual freedom of Kashmiris and reflected what she described as India’s undemocratic ambitions.
She remarked that suppressing history does not erase facts and that silencing free expression exposed “fascist tendencies.”
The PPP leader alleged that New Delhi’s policies were pushing Kashmiri youth into “intellectual slavery” and that such bans were damaging India’s global reputation.
She added that every attempt to suppress the truth has failed in history, and “India will fail too,” asserting that confiscating books was an attempt to erase Kashmiri identity, which could not be achieved through bans.
Read: India bans 25 books in IIOJK over 'secession' claims
Earlier, police in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) raided bookshops after authorities banned 25 books, including one by Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, saying the titles "excite secessionism" in the contested Muslim-majority region.
The raids came after the government accused the writers of propagating "false narratives" about Kashmir, "while playing a critical role in misguiding the youth" against the Indian state.
"The operation targeted materials promoting secessionist ideologies or glorifying terrorism," police said in a social media statement. "Public cooperation is solicited to uphold peace and integrity," it said.
Authorities also seized Islamic literature from bookshops and homes after a similar directive in February.
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