The Centre took a decisive step on Tuesday by establishing a tribunal, led by Delhi High Court Judge Justice Sachin Datta, to determine whether there are valid grounds for declaring Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH), a pro-Pakistan separatist group in Jammu and Kashmir, as an 'unlawful association', news agency PTI reported.
The government had officially outlawed the Jammu and Kashmir-based organisation on December 31, using the powers conferred by the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, for a duration of five years.
Citing a notification from the Union Home Ministry, the PTI report said that the tribunal's primary purpose is to adjudicate on the question of whether there is sufficient cause to declare Tehreek-e-Hurriyat as an unlawful association, as mandated by sub-section (1) of section 5 read with sub-section (1) of section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The government's decision to ban Tehreek-e-Hurriyat was motivated by the group's involvement in promoting terrorism and disseminating anti-India propaganda within the Union territory. The Union Home Ministry emphasised that the organisation, founded by the late separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, aims to achieve the secession of Jammu and Kashmir from India and establish Islamic rule in the region, the PTI report said.
According to the report, the ministry further stated that Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, along with its leaders and members, has been actively raising funds through various channels, including Pakistan and its proxy organizations, to support unlawful activities. These activities include backing terrorist actions and orchestrating sustained stone-pelting attacks on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
Highlighting the group's disregard for constitutional authority, the ministry asserted that Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and its members consistently show disrespect towards the constitutional framework of the country. The members of the organisation pay tributes to deceased terrorists involved in encounters with security forces, and their activities are geared towards creating a climate of terror in the country, thereby posing a threat to security and public order, the report said.
The notification further outlined the TeH's engagement in activities that are detrimental to the integrity, sovereignty, security, and communal harmony of the country, as reported by PTI.