Jammu, March 12 Leader of Opposition (LoP) and BJP MLA in J&K Legislative Assembly, Sunil Sharma, on Wednesday welcomed the Ministry of Home Affairs's decision to ban the Awami Action Committee (ACC) and JK Ittehadul Muslimeen (JKIM) and criticised former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for opposing it.
Talking to IANS here, Sunil Sharma said, “In J&K two organisations, Awami Action Committee led by Maulvi Umer Farooq and Ittehadul Muslimeen led by Abbas Ansari were working against the unity of India.
“Today, the Ministry of Home Affairs has banned these two organisations. This is an appreciable decision. BJP welcomes this decision taken by the union home ministry to ban these two separatist organisations under the unlawful activities (Prevention) Act. No person and no organisation should be allowed to work against the integrity and solidarity of the country,” Sharma said.
When asked about former Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, who opposed the ban order, Sharma said, “The PDP is a party formed on the separatist sentiment. Separatist groups like the Hurriyat and the Jamaat-e-Islami are the foundation of the PDP. Whenever radical and anti-India parties are hammered, Madam is pained, and the pain shows in her statements,” he said.
Asked about the latest statement of Congress leader Rashid Alvi about the alleged targeting of Muslims, Sharma said, “These parties lived on the policy of divide and appease, which is not in line with the spirit of the Constitution, and such actions will not be acceptable now.”
It must be mentioned that the Union Home Ministry has banned both the ACC and the JKIM for a period of five years.
The MHA issued two separatist notifications on Tuesday, banning both the Mirwaiz Umer Farooq-headed ACC and Maulvi Masroor Abbas-headed JKIM.
ACC was formed by the late Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq in 1963 during the holy relic agitation. After his assassination in 1990, his son, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, became the head of the ACC.
JKIM was formed by Maulvi Abbas Ansari, and after his death, his son, Maulvi Masroor Ansari, became its chief.
Soon after the ban was announced, Mehbooba Mufti took to X to voice her opposition. She wrote that the MHA’s action was "another blow to Kashmir’s social and political landscape".
"Suppressing dissent will only deepen tensions rather than resolve them. The J&K government must intervene to stop such actions. Democracy is about more than elections - it’s about protecting citizens’ fundamental rights. While silencing Kashmir’s voices may serve BJP’s political agenda, it undermines the very Constitution that safeguards these rights. The central government must reassess its approach and move away from heavy-handed tactics," she wrote on X.
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