Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, once headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, banned by govt

In a decisive step the government on Sunday declared proPakistan separatist group TehreekeHurriyat TeH founded by late hardline separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani as a banned organisation for the next five yearsThe action announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah is a response to the groups involvement in fomenting terrorism and spreading antiIndia sentiment within the Union territory of Jammu and KashmirUnder Prime Minister Narendra Modis zerotolerance policy against terrorism Shah emphasised that any individual or organisation found engaged in antiIndia activities would face strict measuresThe TehreekeHurriyat JampK TeH has been declared an Unlawful Association under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act The outfit is involved in forbidden activities to separate JampK from India and establish Islamic rule Shah posted on XThe decision to ban the TeH was made under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act citing the groups propagation of antiIndia messaging and its efforts to sustain terror activities ultimately aiming to fuel secessionism in Jammu and KashmirThe TeH previously led by the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani and succeeded by Masarat Alam Bhat has been known for its antiIndia and proPakistan stance Bhat currently incarcerated also headed the banned organisation Muslim League of Jammu and Kashmir which was declared unlawful earlier in DecemberThe TeH was formed by Geelani in 2004 after he stepped out of the moderate Hurriyat faction led by Mirwaiz Umer FarooqGeelani against whom several cases were registered resigned from the JamaateIslami and formed this group which later became a constituent of another faction of the Hurriyat a separatist amalgam led by the hardline separatistSeveral of members of the hardline Hurriyat have been chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency for raising funds to support terror in KashmirThey include Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate Altaf Ahmad Shah alias Fantoosh Geelanis soninlaw and public relations officer of the TeH as well as secretary and strategist in the Hurriyat Mohammad Akbar Khanday spokesman of the Hurriyat and a fundraiser for it Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Bashir Ahmad Bhat alias Peer Saifullah personal assistant of Geelani as well as secretary of the TeHGeelani died in September 2021 while his soninlaw in October 2022The Union home ministry in a notification highlighted the groups involvement in raising funds from various sources including Pakistan and its proxy organisations to support unlawful activities such as sustaining terrorist acts and orchestrating stonepelting incidents against security forces in the regionIn addition the notification underscored the groups disregard for constitutional authority and its repeated calls to boycott assembly elections displaying a lack of belief in the democratic system of governanceThe central governments decision to ban the TehreekeHurriyat for five years stems from its concern that the group if left unchecked would persist in advocating for the secession of Jammu and Kashmir from India while disputing its accession to the UnionThe groups activities were deemed prejudicial to the integrity sovereignty security and communal harmony of the country with a potential to perpetuate a false narrative and antinational sentiments among the people of Jammu and KashmirIn exercising powers conferred by the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 1967 the central government officially declared the TeH Jammu and Kashmir as an unlawful association for the next five years effective immediatelyThis measure reflects the governments commitment to curbing activities that pose a threat to the territorial integrity security and sovereignty of the nation aiming to maintain public order and discourage sentiments of disaffection against IndiaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever