Both Factions Of Hurriyat Conference To Be Banned Under UAPA

Both factions of the Hurriyat Conference are likely to be banned under UAPA: Jammu Kashmir.

Both the factions of the separatist group Hurriyat Conference, which have been spearheading the separatist movement in Jammu and Kashmir for more than two decades.

They are likely to be banned under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

A recent investigation into the granting of MBBS seats to Kashmiri students by institutions in Pakistan indicates that funds collected from candidates were being used to finance terrorist organizations.

These organizations are linked to Hurriyat. 

According to officials, both the groups of Hurriyat are likely to be banned under Section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act or UAPA.

Under this, if in the opinion of the Central Government, any association becomes an unlawful association, it can be declared unlawful by notification in the Official Gazette.

Hurriyat was formed in 1993.

Hurriyat Conference came into existence in 1993 with 26 groups. This included some pro-Pakistan and banned organizations like Jamaat-e-Islami, JKLF, and Dukhtaran-e-Millat.

It also included the People’s Conference and the Awami Action Committee headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

The separatist group split into two factions in 2005. In which the moderate group was led by Mirwaiz and the radical group was led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Till now the central government has banned Jamaat-e-Islami and JKLF under UAPA.

Officials said investigations into the funding of terrorist groups indicate the alleged complicity of separatist organizations and separatist leaders.

These include members of the Hurriyat Conference, which are working closely with active terrorists of banned terrorist organizations Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

According to officials, the cadre raised funds from the country and abroad through various illegal means, including hawala, to finance separatist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

The atmosphere in Kashmir was spoiled with this fund. Stone pelting on security forces, burning of schools, waging an undeclared war against India.

This is the reason behind the ban.

The authorities are giving many arguments behind banning both groups of Hurriyat. He says that the NIA, which is probing the terror funding case, has also detained many separatist leaders.

Many leaders of both factions have been in jail since 2017. These leaders include Geelani’s son-in-law Altaf Ahmad Shah, businessman Zahoor Ahmed Watali.

Geelani’s close aide Ejaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Shahid-ul-Islam, Hurriyat’s soft faction spokesman Mehrazuddin, Naeem Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar.

Later JKLF chief Yasin Malik, Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi, pro-Pakistan Masrat Alam were also named in the supplementary chargesheet in the terror funding case.

Another case pertains to PDP youth wing chief Wahid-ur-Rehman Para.

He is accused of giving five crore rupees to Geelani’s son-in-law to spoil the atmosphere in Kashmir after the death of terrorist Burhan Wani.

The NIA had also said that Para had come in contact with Altaf Ahmed Shah after Wani’s death in 2016 and asked him to initiate violence in Kashmir.

The CID’s wing Counter Intelligence had also registered a case in July last year for selling MBBS seats in Pakistani institutions.

Four people, including the self-styled chairman of Hurriyat-affiliated Salvation Movement, Mohammad Akbar Bhat, were taken into custody in this case.

It was alleged that Hurriyat leaders used to sell MBBS seats to Kashmiri youth in Pakistani institutions by taking money from Hurriyat on the basis of this. This money was used for terrorism.