Amit Shah says 2 more rebel groups sever Hurriyat ties: ‘Under Modi govt, separatism is breathing its last’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday informed that two more groups in Jammu Kashmir affiliated with the Hurriyat Conference, Tahreeqi Isteqlal and Tahreek-I-Istiqamat, have “discarded separatism”.

Shah said the groups had “reposed their trust in the new Bharat built by PM Modi”.

Amit Shah reiterated, 'Under the Modi government, separatism is breathing its last, and the triumph of unity is echoing across Kashmir."

The Union home minister had on March 25, declared that two organisations associated with the 35-year-old separatist amalgam had severed ties with separatism. With Thursday's announcement, the count went up to four.

The Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement (JKPM) and the Democratic Political Movement (DPM) publicly denounced the Hurriyat and its separatist agenda, pledging allegiance to the Constitution of India.

Scores of residences of the second and third rung members of the Hurriyat Conference were raided by the security forces since Monday. The fresh wave of raids spread from south Kashmir’s Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama to central Kashmir’s Budgam and Srinagar and north Kashmir’s Baramulla.

Most of the raids were on the second and third rung members of the factions of Hurriyat, either led by the Mirwaiz or late Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Official sources said security agencies visited the houses of the members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), banned Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH), banned J&K Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) and J&K People’s League (JKPL), reported The Hindu.

A senior leader of J&K People’s Movement, considered a close aide of Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was also asked to sign a dissociation form.

Amit Shah hailed this development as a significant victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a unified India, attributing it to the Modi government's unifying policies that have effectively dismantled separatist movements in Jammu and Kashmir.

Hurriyat affiliates sign ‘form’ to sever ties

Amit Shah had on Tuesday informed that these groups were severing ties with the Hurriyat Conference “after signing a prescribed disassociation form”.

The prescribed form asks Hurriyat supporters to announce that “his organisation as well as him have no connection or affiliation with either APHC (G) or APHC (A) or any of their constituents or any other entity pursuing separatist or similar such agenda”, a Hindu report stated.

The format asked the Hurriyat supporters to denounce Hurriyat politics and pledge they “do not have any inclination or sympathy for the ideology of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), which has not been able to address the legitimate aspirations and grievances of people of J&K”.

What is Hurriyat Conference?

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is a coalition of 26 political, social, and religious organisations in Jammu and Kashmir, formed on July 31, 1993.

It emerged as a unified political front to advocate for Kashmiri separatism and self-determination, challenging India's governance in the valley.

The Hurriyat Conference has been a central figure in the Kashmir conflict, with its primary objective being to secure the right of self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as per the United Nations Security Council Resolution.

The organisation perceives Kashmir as a disputed territory and supports the view that it is the "unfinished agenda of Partition," aligning itself with Islamic ideology and seeking liberation from India, with some factions advocating for union with Pakistan.