Islamabad denounces fresh restrictions on political parties in Indian-administered Kashmir

Indian security personnel stand guard on a blocked road ahead of the public rally by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Srinagar on March 7, 2024. (AFP)

• Indian government last week banned or declared ‘unlawful’ nearly half a dozen political factions
• The move came hours before the announcement of dates for parliamentary elections in India

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Tuesday denounced fresh restrictions imposed by New Delhi on political parties in Indian-administered Kashmir, describing it as a move to “crush dissent” in the disputed region.
India’s home ministry last week declared the Yasin Malik-led Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) an “unlawful association” and banned the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League (JKPFL) for five years “for abetting secession,” according to Indian media reports.
New Delhi also declared four factions of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples League (JKPL) “unlawful associations” for their alleged involvement in militancy in the region. The move came hours before the announcement of dates for parliamentary elections in India.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said a total of 14 political groups in the disputed region had become outlawed after the issuance of fresh notifications by the Indian home ministry.
“The affiliates of these parties are also facing persecution,” it said in a statement. “However, such oppressive tactics cannot suppress the Kashmiri people’s aspirations for realization of their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.”
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint between Pakistan and India since their independence from the British rule in 1947. Both Pakistan and India rule parts of the Himalayan territory, but claim it in full and have fought three wars over the disputed region.
Islamabad said the ongoing Indian campaign to “crush dissent” contravened the international human rights and humanitarian law as well as democratic norms.
“The Government of India is urged to lift the curbs on the banned Kashmiri parties; release all the political prisoners, including Mr. Yasin Malik; and implement the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement added.