Jailed separatist leader Shabir Shah\'s party banned by MHA

SRINAGAR: The Union home ministry has declared the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) led by jailed separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah as an unlawful association and banned it reportedly for a period of five years under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act  (UAPA), 1967.

An official release issued simultaneously in New Delhi and Srinagar on Thursday said that the Government of India has banned JKDFP under Section 3(1) of the UAPA.  "This organization has been involved in anti-national activities since 1998 and its members have always promoted separatism and terrorist acts in India," the statement said.

It added, "The members of this organization, by inciting the people, want to make Kashmir a separate Islamic state, which is prejudicial to the sovereignty, security and integrity of India. Many criminal cases have been registered against this organization under various sections of UAPA 1967, IPC 1860, The Arms Act 1959 and Ranbir Penal Code 1932."

70-year-old Shah who is lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail for past more than six years faces trial on various charges including terror funding and money laundering. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in July 2017 in the alleged money laundering case dating back to 2005.

The ED had claimed that he was found actively involved in the activities of fuelling unrest in the Kashmir Valley “by way of stone pelting, processions, protests, bandhs, hartals and other subversive activities”.

It had added, “He was involved in receiving funds from terrorist organisation Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and other terrorist outfits based in Pakistan as well as from the Pakistani establishment through hawala and various other means and channels and these funds were then being used for fuelling and supporting militant activities in the Kashmir Valley.”

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court had in March last year ordered for framing charges in the money laundering case against Shah, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Muhammad Yasin Malik and other separatist leaders-Altaf Ahmed Shah alias ‘Fantosh’, Masarat Alam, Naeem Ahmed Khan, Bashir Ahmed Bhat alias Peer Saifullah, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahmed Dar alias ‘Bita Karate- , businessman Zahoor Watali, co-founder of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) and the chief of Jama'at-ud-Da'wah Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Muhammad Yusuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin under various sections of the UAPA and IPC.

‘Fantosh’, a son-in-law of separatist patriarch Syed Ali Shah Geelani who also was lodged in Tihar Jail died of renal cell cancer at New Delhi’s AIIMS in October 2022. While Saeed and Salahuddin live in Pakistan, almost all others are lodged in Tihar Jail for the past five to six years. All of them have been accused of criminal conspiracy, waging war against the country and indulging in unlawful activities.

A notification issued by the MHA said that the JKDFP, through its anti-national activities, also shows disrespect and disregard to the constitutional authority and sovereignty of the State and that, if there is no immediate curb or control on these "unlawful activities", the party will use this opportunity to continue with such pastime which is detrimental to the territorial integrity, security and sovereignty of the country.

It further said that if there is no curb or control on its activities, it will continue advocating the secession of J&K from India while disputing its accession to the Union.