Masarat Alam Bhat, the leader of a faction of the Muslim League Jammu Kashmir banned under the UAPA on Wednesday, is known for his “anti-India” and “pro-Pakistan” propaganda. At present incarcerated, he became the chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference after the death of Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The union home ministry said the ban on Bhat’s outfit comes as a response to “anti-national and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, with the intent to create a reign of terror in the country”. Home minister Amit Shah, while announcing the ban under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, stressed that the Narendra Modi-led government’s message is clear that those who act against the unity, sovereignty and integrity of the nation will face the full wrath of the law and will not be spared.
According to the ministry of home affairs, the objectives of the Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction) are to “attain freedom for Jammu and Kashmir from India, merge it with Pakistan, and establish Islamic rule”. A ministry notification stated that the organisation’s members have been involved in secessionist activities, raising funds through various sources, including Pakistan and its proxy organisations, to support terrorist activities and sustain stone-pelting on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
Who is Masarat Alam?
Masarat Alam Bhat has been in jail since 2010 for his alleged involvement in violent protests in the Kashmir valley, which were mostly stone-pelting rallies against security forces. His release in 2015 became the first impediment in the PDP-BJP alliance — the then chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed got him released immediately after taking oath.
Under pressure from its ally BJP, the then state government had to re-arrest him on charges of sedition and waging war against the state after allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans at a rally. Bhat was accused of playing a key role in organising violent protests in Kashmir in 2010, which resulted in the deaths of over 100 youths.
He was appointed the chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference after the death of Geelani in September 2021. Lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail since 2019, Bhat has constantly been in the news for his anti-India rhetoric. He has been running his Muslim League faction for the past decade, but the outfit’s activities have been monitored by the intelligence agencies since long before.
The Centre has booked him in 27 criminal cases but he has either been exonerated or bailed out in most. Bhat is known to have spoken out in support of 2008 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and LeT chief Hafiz Sayeed. He has also been criticised for being the “new poster boy” for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.
(With PTI inputs)
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