No new liquor vends are being advertised or allotted by J-K govt: Omar
Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Mar 12:
A day after the government of India banned separatist leader and chief preacher Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s Awami Action Committee (AAC) and Itehadul Muslimmeen (IUM), the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said that they have not been in favour of banning political parties.
Omar said while the Ministry of Home Affairs took the decision, he, as chief minister, had no idea about it, as such matters are beyond his domain.
“For what reasons was the Awami Action Committee banned? I don’t know, as such matters are not within the authority of the elected government, and the intelligence-based reports on which it was banned were not shared with us,” he told reporters in Gulmarg on the sidelines of Khelo India games.
“On principle, we have not been in favour of such decisions. And also after the release of Mirwaiz from his house arrest, he has not spoken anything that would ensue such a ban,” Omar said.
The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday banned the AAC, led by Mirwaiz Umar and IUM, headed by Masroor Abbas Ansari, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
The Awami Action Committee was founded by the late Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq, father of Umar Farooq, in 1964. Its office, ‘Mirwaiz Manzil,’ is located at Rajouri Kadal in Downtown, Srinagar. Following the ban by the MHA, the authorities removed the ‘Awami Action Committee’ signboard from the office. IUM was founded by late separatist leader Abbas Ansari, and his son Masroor was now heading it.
The issue was raked up by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party legislator, Waheed Para, earlier today in the ongoing budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly. Para demanded a discussion on the ban on AAC and IuM. However, the assembly didn’t discuss the issue.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is ruling at the centre, welcomed the ban on the two separatist organisations. Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma, while welcoming the decision of the central government, said, “All such organisations that are anti-national and challenge the sovereignty of India must be banned.”. Sharma also lashed out at PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who condemned the ban.
Former chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said that if the government of India has provided Z-plus security to separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, then how does his party become anti-national?
“Mirwaiz (Umar Farooq) is himself a victim. His father was martyred. On the one hand, the Government of India provides him with Z-plus security; on the other hand, it bans his party. If he was anti-national, why did the government provide him Z-plus security? How long will this muscular policy continue?” Mehbooba told reporters in Srinagar.
The PDP leader said both the banned groups are sociopolitical organisations. “People here need a healing policy. Such decisions create more hurt feelings among the people. For what reasons are these two organisations banned? We didn’t understand,” she said.
Hitting out at the National Conference-led government, the PDP leader said that people elected the government in the hope of safety and relaxation from the stringent policies of the government of India.
“Despite the elected government, people feel no relief and no end to their suffering. The silence of the ruling party portrays normalcy here,” she said.
Separatist leader and president of Anjuman-e-Sharie-Shian, Aga Syed Hassan Mosavi, said the government of India has taken an illegal and undemocratic decision of banning the two parties.
“These decisions should be left to the courts. The government must stop these undemocratic decisions so that peace and better relations prevail,” Mosavi told reporters.
Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhat said the decision should not have been taken at this time when there is a popular government in place in J&K. “Such harsh decisions need a pause, but these are not stopping. Awami Action Committee was not a terrorist organisation that it should be banned,” Bhat said.
National Conference legislator from Srinagar’s Hazratbal assembly segment, Salman Sagar, said the central government should “reconsider” the ban on AAC. “Mirwaiz (Umar Farooq) has a good influence among people as a religious and social leader. And this influence should be used for a positive change. The ban is not a good step and must be reconsidered,” Sagar said.
The BJP-led government has banned 12 separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir in the last five years as a result of its series of stringent decisions on Kashmir’s separatist politics after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and the Pulwama suicide attack on a CRPF convoy on February 14, 2019.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that TV channels and news portals should stop spreading misinformation about new liquor vends being allotted by the government in the region.
“There is no change in the 305 shops being auctioned in 2025-26, with no addition of any new shop for bidding.”
“No new liquor vends are being advertised or allotted by my government. TV channels and news portals should immediately stop peddling this lie,” the office of the chief minister said on X.
