Islamabad: Pakistan expressed strong condemnation over the decision by Indian occupation authorities to declare the Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarrat Alam faction) [MLJK-MA] as an “unlawful association” for a period of five years. The party, led by prominent Kashmiri leader Masarrat Alam Bhatt, has seen its fifth ban under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Other banned Kashmiri parties include the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front, Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, Dukhtaraan-e-Millat, and Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, in a statement, highlighted the prolonged imprisonment of Masarrat Alam Bhatt, exceeding 20 years, and the relentless persecution of the party’s leadership through detentions and property confiscations. Baloch noted that the Office of All Parties Hurriyat Conference in Srinagar had also been sealed earlier this year.
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The spokesperson emphasized that the banning of political parties including Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarrat Alam faction) and persecution of their leadership reflected a desire to stifle dissent, disregarding democratic norms and international human rights and humanitarian law. She pointed out that these actions violated the foundational principles of the United Nations Charter, affirming the fundamental rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, including the right to self-determination.
Baloch urged India to immediately lift restrictions on banned political parties in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), release political prisoners and dissenters, and implement UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. She stressed that the people of Jammu and Kashmir consistently rejected India’s harsh tactics aimed at consolidating its occupation.
