Centre declares Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction) 'Unlawful Association' under UAPA

Masarat Alam Bhat. File Photo

Government of India on Wednesday declared the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League, led by jailed separatist leader Masarat Alam, as an 'Unlawful Association' under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the organization and its members are involved in "anti-national and secessionist activities" in Jammu and Kashmir supporting "terrorist activities" and inciting people to establish Islamic rule in J&K.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's message is loud and clear that anyone acting against the unity, sovereignty, and integrity of our nation will not be spared and face the full wrath of the law.

Shah posted on X, "The ‘Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction)'/MLJK-MA is declared as an 'Unlawful Association' under UAPA.

This organization and its members are involved in anti-national and secessionist activities in J&K supporting terrorist activities and inciting people to establish Islamic rule in J&K.

The PM @narendramodi government's message is loud and clear that anyone acting against the unity, sovereignty, and integrity of our nation will not be spared and face the full wrath of the law (SIC)."

The organisations's chairman Masarat Alam Bhat is under detention on Delhi's Tihar Jail for the past several years for his involvement in the successionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

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Born in 1971, Alam is a prominent Kashmiri political separatist leader in the Jammu and Kashmir region. Currently serving as the chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Muslim League, he has also assumed the role of interim chairman of the Geelani faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.

Bhat gained prominence for his active involvement in the 2010 Kashmir agitation, triggered by the Machil encounter conducted by the Indian Army in Kashmir. Following the demise of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, he was appointed as the interim chairman of the Geelani faction of Hurriyat. However, he has been under detention for the past years.

Despite facing over 30 cases, Bhat has been either exonerated or granted bail in most instances. His release in March 2015, during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's tenure as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, sparked political controversy and dominated Indian Parliament proceedings.

Masarat Alam Bhat has a contentious history with the Indian law, having been detained under the controversial Public Safety Act. His release in 2015 triggered debates, with Bhat asserting that no deal was made with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. He had spent over four years in prison, challenging the grounds of his detention.