SRINAGAR: All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has condemned Indian government’s ban on Jammu and Kashmir National Front (JKNF), led by detained senior APHC leader Nayeem Ahmed Khan, as brazen act of state terrorism in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service report, APHC spokesperson Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in statement in Srinagar, condemned ban as yet another act of terrorism by BJP-led Indian government against pro-freedom organisations in Kashmir.

Nayeem Ahmed Khan and other APHC leaders have been detained since 2017 and BJP-led government has been resorting to various tactics to divert international attention from its atrocities in disputed territory, he added.

Spokesperson said that Narendra Modi-led Indian government is deliberately escalating tensions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir through such anti-Kashmiris’ measures for political gains in upcoming general elections.

He said ban on JKNF, along with previous bans on other political parties in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, such as Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir and Democratic Freedom Party, as concerted effort by BJP-RSS Hindutva government to suppress Kashmiris’ demand for self-determination.

APHC also highlighted attachment of its office in Rajbagh, Srinagar, by BJP government, stating that such actions speak volumes about India’s dictatorial way of handling things in IIOJK.

Statement called on United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and European Union to intervene and prevent India from imposing bans on political parties striving for resolution of Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions.

Meanwhile, Democratic Freedom Party’s Advocate Arshad Iqbal while denouncing new Delhi’s decision to ban DFP, stated that it goes against principles of democracy. He reiterated that Indian laws do not apply in occupied Jammu and Kashmir due to its disputed status and emphasised peaceful resolve sought by JKNF in line with UN resolutions.

All Parties Hurriyat Conference-AJK (APHC-AJK) Convener Mehmood Ahmed Sahgar in statement in Islamabad said banning of pro-freedom parties and attachment of their properties by BJP-led Hindutva government of India will not stifle voices advocating for right to self-determination in Kashmir.

APHC-AJK leader Altaf Hussain Wani in statement termed India’s declaration of National Front an unlawful association as violation of democratic rights. He rejected Indian laws in Kashmir and urged global intervention against suppression of political dissent by BJP regime in IIOJK.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 14 2024

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