Centre Bans Yasin Malik-led JKLF For ‘Promoting Terrorism and Secessionism’

New Delhi: The Indian government on Friday outlawed the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) led by Muhammad Yasin Malik, alleging it was responsible for promoting terrorism and secessionism in the state.

Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba said in pursuit of its strong action against terrorism, the government had declared the JKLF (Yasin faction), which supposedly advocates independence for J&K, an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Malik is at present detained in Kot Balwal Jail in Jammu.

The JKLF has spearheaded the "separatist ideology in the (Kashmir) Valley and has been at the forefront of separatist activities and violence since 1988", Gauba told the media here.

"Yasin Malik was the mastermind behind the purging of Kashmiri Pundits from the Kashmir Valley and is responsible for their genocide," a Home Ministry notification said.

The JKLF was also blamed for the murder of four Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel and the abduction of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed who later became the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The organisation, along side, is also responsible for illegal funnelling of funds for fomenting terrorism. JKLF is actively involved in raising of funds and its distribution to Hurriyat cadres and stone-pelters to fuel unrest in the Kashmir Valley as well as for subversive activities," the notification said.

The official said that JKLF cadres posed "a serious threat to the security of the country and are prejudicial to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India.

"The organisation has been actively and continuously encouraging feeling of enmity and hatred against the lawfully established government" and promoting armed rebellion.

Noting that the J&K Police had filed 37 FIRs against the JKLF and the NationaI Investigation Agency had also registered a case, "it is evident that the JKLF continued to be actively engaged in supporting and inciting secessionism and terrorism including terror financing".

The JKLF is the second group to be banned in recent times in the Kashmir Valley after the Jamaat-e-Islami (J&K), which the government said was responsible for the formation of Hizbul Mujahideen, "the biggest terror organisation active in Jammu and Kashmir".

Condemning the move, People’s Democratic Party leader and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted: “Yasin Malik renounced violence as a way of resolving J&K issue a long time ago. He was treated as a stakeholder in a dialogue initiated by then PM Vajpayee ji. What will a ban on his organisation achieve? Detrimental steps like these will only turn Kash into an open air prison.”

Geelani Booked Under FEMA

Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Geelani, who advocates J&K’s merger with Pakistan, has been booked under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) for illegally possessing foreign exchange of $10,000, the Enforcement Directorate said on Friday.

Geelani had been fined Rs 14.40 lakh following the confiscation of the unaccounted foreign exchange from his premises in J&K on Wednesday, the agency said.

"The adjudication proceeding in case of Syed Ali Shah Geelani for the offence of illegally possessing foreign exchange was completed on March 20 by levying penalty of Rs 14.40 lakh on him along with confiscation of foreign exchange US $ 10,000," said an ED statement.

The ED took over the case following an Income Tax Department complaint against Geelani.