Union Home Minister Amit Shah today declared that two groups of the Hurriyat Conference—the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement and the Democratic Political Movement—have made up their minds to quit their role in separatist activities. Shah attributed this to the unifying policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, proclaiming that separatism is a relic of the past in Kashmir. He asked all separatist groups in the Union Territory to completely drop separatism, calling it a great victory for PM Modi’s vision of a developed, peaceful, and united India.
This is the follow-up of the government’s latest ban on two other members of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference—the Awami Action Committee (AAC) under Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM) under Mohammad Abbas Ansari. The organizations were banned for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, on grounds of alleged anti-national activities, terror support, and secessionist activities promotion.
Mirwaiz Farooq called the action as part of a sustained policy of intimidation and weakening in Jammu and Kashmir after August 2019, when the central government revoked Article 370. Earlier, in February last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs had also prohibited both wings of the Muslim Conference Jammu and Kashmir, also an associate of the APHC, for activities against the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
