Islamabad: Pakistan condemns the Indian authorities’ decision to declare the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir (TeH) as an “unlawful association”, for a period of five years.
The TeH is the second Kashmiri party banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in less than a week’s time. With its banning, the total number of outlawed Kashmiri political parties increases to six.
The party was founded by iconic Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who passed away in 2021 during a protracted house arrest. His dead body was ruthlessly snatched by the occupation authorities, and his near and dear ones were not allowed to attend his funeral.
Banning of political parties is part of India’s relentless campaign to subjugate the Kashmiri people, suppress dissent, and consolidate its occupation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). These actions blatantly violate democratic norms and international human rights and humanitarian law.
India must remove the ban on all the political parties illegally outlawed in IIOJK; respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people; release all the political prisoners and dissenters; and faithfully implement the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.