Pakistan firmly condemned India’s decision to qualify two eminent organizations of the cashmere occupied by India as illegal associations for five years.
The AAC, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a key figure in the cashmere resistance movement, and the JKIM, led by the late Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari until his death in 2022, were both declared illegal under Indian law.
The decision brings the total number of political parties and prohibited organizations in the region to 16.
“Pakistan denounces the decision of the Indian authorities to declare AAM and JKIM as an illegal association” for a period of five years, “the statement said.
“AAM is led by an eminent political and religious leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The JKIM was also founded by another notable political and religious leader, Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, who led him until his disappearance in 2022, “said the press release.
The declaration stressed that the decision is an attempt to suppress political activities and to stifle dissent in the region, without taking into account democratic principles and international human rights standards.
Earlier this month, Pakistan rejected the statements made by the Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar concerning Azad Jammu and Cashmire (AJK).
Jaishankar had called upon the return of what he described as the “stolen part of the cashmere”, referring to the AJK as “illegal Pakistani occupation”.
