Pakistan has slammed the Indian authorities for imposing a five-year ban on two Kashmiri organisations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), terming it an act to “suppress political activities and stifle dissent”.

India has banned two political groups in the IIOJK it accused of promoting secessionism in the disputed Muslim-majority region, including one headed by the occupied territory’s leading religious cleric.

An order issued late on Tuesday by India’s home ministry declared the Awami Action Committee (AAC) an unlawful association under the country’s stringent anti-terror laws, banning it for five years.

It said the party’s activities were “prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security” of India and accused its members of “supporting terrorist activities and anti-India propaganda for fuelling secessionism”.

A separate ministry notification announced the five-year ban of the Jammu and Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM).

The JKIM was founded by another notable political and religious leader, Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, who headed it till his demise in 2022.

It accused the group of “sheer disrespect towards the constitutional authority” and promoting Kashmir’s “secession” from India.

“The recent decision increases the total number of outlawed Kashmiri political parties and organisations to 16,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement issued today.

“Banning of different political parties and organisations is yet another manifestation of the Indian authorities’ iron-fisted approach in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“It reflects a desire to suppress the political activities and stifle dissent. It also shows sheer disregard of democratic norms and international human rights law.”

Islamabad urged New Delhi to “remove the curbs on the Kashmiri political parties; release all the political prisoners; and faithfully implement the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir”.

India has banned 10 political groups in the region since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government imposed direct rule on the occupied region in 2019, cancelling its constitutionally guaranteed semi-autonomy.

Critics and residents say that civil liberties have been drastically curtailed in the years since.

Amit Shah, India’s powerful interior minister, trumpeted the ban on social media and warned that those “involved in activities against the nation” would face the “crushing blow” of Modi’s government.

The AAC, led by cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was formed in 1964 in the aftermath of a huge campaign for Kashmir’s right to self-determination. It has never participated in periodic elections held in the region.

Farooq said the ban was a “continuation of the policy of intimidation and disempowerment” he accused Indian authorities of implementing in the IIOJK in 2019.

“The voice of truth may be suppressed through force but will not be silenced,” he wrote in a post on social media platform X.

Politicians from IIOJK’s pro-India political parties also criticised the ban in a rare act of solidarity with the group.

Mehbooba Mufti, president of the People’s Democratic Party, warned that “suppressing dissent will only deepen tensions”.

Resistance groups have waged a decades-long campaign in IIOJK demanding either independence or a merger with Pakistan.