The crackdown on Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) J&K continues in the Valley with three more arrests were made from Kishtwar after the separatist organisation’s top leadership were arrested from Srinagar earlier this week. The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday (February 24) last week launched a massive crackdown on JeI and detained or arrested hundreds of its top leaders and cadre including chairman Abdul Hamid Fayaz.
Moreover, the authorities have sealed more than 70 bank accounts linked to the organisation and several others are under the government’s scanner in Srinagar.
The Authorities have also frozen various cash funds amounting to Rs 52 crore belonging to Jamaat. As many as 200 leaders and cadre from the separatist organisation were taken into preventive custody ahead of Article 35A hearing later in the week. The government evoked UAPA against the organisation.
READ: Home Ministry bans religious-political group Jamat-e-Islami in Kashmir
The lastest Crackdown on the Jamat-e-Islami came a day after Union Home Ministry imposed a ban on the Outfit in Jammu and Kashmir. Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday banned the ‘Jamat-e-Islami’ which is a religious-political and separatist’s group, a period of 5 years, in the Valley. The government stated that this Jammu and Kashmir based ‘outfit’ has the potential to disrupt the unity and integrity of the country.
It is ‘banned’ under ‘unlawful association’ under Section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The government of India Sources as quoted by ANI said, ‘Jamaat-e-Islami (J&K), which has been banned, is the main organisation responsible for the propagation of separatist and radical ideology in Kashmir valley. This organisation has nothing to do with Jamaat-e-Islami.’
The two main political parties of the state – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC) criticized the centre’s move to ban the JeI, J&K. Democracy is a battle of ideas, crackdown followed by banning of Jammat Islami (jk) is condemnable, another example of high handedness and muscular approach of GOI [Government of India] to deal with a political issue of J&K’ Former Chief Minister and PDP Leader Mehbooba Mufti said in twitter.
While NC General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar also shared his displeasure over the Centre’s decision, saying it will impede the process of reconciliation in the state, and demanded that the ban be lifted.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) over the last five days, raided seven locations, including on the houses of separatists like Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, in connection with cases related to funding of terrorist and separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir. The NIA claimed that it found “high-tech internet communication setup” from the residence of Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.
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