The Centre on Tuesday banned Jammu Kashmir National Front (JKNF) under stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), for a period of five years.
“The Modi government today declared Jammu and Kashmir National Front as an Unlawful Association. The outfit was found carrying out secessionist activities to sever Jammu and Kashmir from Bharat and supporting terrorism, challenging the sovereignty, security, and integrity of the nation. We are committed to uprooting terror forces to ensure the security of the people of Bharat,” Union home minister Amit Shah posted on social platform X.
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In a notification issued on Tuesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) alleged that the organisation headed by Nayeem Ahmad Khan is “indulging in unlawful activities, which are prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty, and security of the country”.
It accused the members of JKNF of being involved in supporting terrorist activities and anti-India propaganda for “fuelling secessionism in Jammu and Kashmir and providing logistic support to terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.”
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“JKNF has constantly asked the people of Kashmir to refrain from taking part in elections and thereby targeted and hampered the very basic constitutionally recognized fundamentals of Indian democracy. And, whereas, the JKNF and its members by their activities show sheer disrespect towards the constitutional authority and constitutional set up of the country,” the MHA notification stated.
The government alleged that the outfit is involved in promoting, aiding and abetting secession of J&K from India by involving in “anti-national and subversive activities; sowing seeds of dis-affection amongst people; exhorting people to destabilise law and order among others”.
JKNF's chief Nayeem Khan was in the news in 2017 when he was suspended from the membership of Geelani faction of Hurriyat Conference. Khan was suspended after a sting operation by a TV channel showed him allegedly admitting to the use of Pakistani funds to finance the 2016 unrest. He was also questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) over allegations of receiving funds from Pakistan to fuel protests in the Kashmir Valley.