India’s Home Ministry has announced a five year ban on the Jama’at-e Islami Kashmir, the largest political and religious group in Kashmir. The group has long protested Indian dominance of Kashmir.
Amid ongoing military tensions between India and Pakistan, the Indian
government is engaged in a growing series of crackdowns against groups
in Kashmir that are seen as a threat to continued Indian rule.
JeI, in particular, was suspected of being involved in some planned
protests in Srinagar. Indeed, in attempting to preempt Friday’s
protests, India has arrested around 400 people, and almost all of them
are said to be members of the JeI.
Kashmir’s Joint Resistance Leadership condemned the JeI ban as a
“dictatorial measure.” India’s Home Ministry, however, insists that they
had to crack down on “subversive activities” because they would
continue to grow.
India Bans Kashmir’s Largest Political and Religious Group in Crackdown
Police arrest 400, mostly members of newly banned group
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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