Who is Masarat Alam Bhat, whose faction has been banned by the Centre?

 The Centre has banned a faction of Muslim League Jammu Kashmir led by separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat. The government has banned the outfit under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while announcing the ban under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, emphasised that the Modi 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. The ban comes as a response to the outfit’s involvement in anti-national and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, with the intent to create a reign of terror in the country, the Union Home Ministry said. “The Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction) is declared as an ‘Unlawful Association’ under UAPA. This organisation and its members are involved in anti-national and secessionist activities in J&K, supporting terrorist activities, and inciting people to establish Islamic rule in J&K,” Shah said in a post on ‘X’. But who is Bhat? What do we know about him? Let’s take a closer look: Bhat is known for his anti-India and pro-Pakistan propaganda. He became the chairman of the hardline faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference in September 2021, as per Outlook. This followed the death of Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

As per Outlook, Bhat was born into a wealthy trading family in 1971 in Zaindar Mohalla Srinagar.

Bhat’s family owned garment shops, as per The Times of India. Bhat ‘stood out for his new shoes, new clothes and generous pocket money’, as per Tehelka. However, he lost both parents at a young age. Raised by his grandfather and two uncles, Bhat went to the prestigious Tyndale Biscoe missionary school in Srinagar. He was first arrested in 1990. He was, at the time, just 19 years old. [caption id=“attachment_13474392” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] As per India Today, Bhat was the local chief of Pakistan-backed terror group Hizbullah. Bhat later turned to separatism and became a protégé of Geelani. Bhat has 27 FIRs registered against him and he has been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) 36 times, as per Hindustan Times. Until 2010, he was intermittently in and out of jail under the PSA. “Until 2008 people didn’t know him," Bhat’s uncle Farooq Ahmad Bhat told TRT World. 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. As per TRT World, he spurred the youth of Kashmir to chant ‘Rugdaa-Rugdaa’ – which calls for India to be wiped away from Kashmir. He went on the run that year after the Centre announced a reward for his arrest, as per The Times of India. He has since spent time in jail for his alleged involvement in violent protests in the Kashmir Valley. The police mistakenly released Bhat in 2014 but then quickly rearrested him. It was during this release that Geelani asked Bhat to take over his position in the Hurriyat. Bhat’s release in 2015 became the first impediment in PDP-BJP alliance when 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 rearrest him after he allegedly raised pro-Pakistan slogans at a rally. As per Outlook, the government accused Bhat of  “sedition” and “waging war against the state” under the PSA.

Bhat is currently incarcerated in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, as per Hindustan Times.

As per The Times of India, Bhat has spoken in favour of LeT chief Hafeez Saeed and Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin. Bhat after the Kashmir floods created controversy by saying that the people of Kashmir don’t need India’s armed forces to rescue them. He is known to use social media to spread his message and has distributed anti-India CDs in mosques. Bhat is the force behind protest calendars and the ‘Quit Kashmir movement.’ He is called the ‘new poster boy of the ISI in the Valley,’ as per the newspaper. In 2010, he told the newspaper, “I am a stone thrower since childhood.” “India is an oppressor and has occupied this land since 1947. India should go… People of J&K are mature enough to decide their future as a nation… They’ve seen so many things… The situation has educated them. But first, and most important, India should quit J&K," he told the newspaper in 2010. Bhat in 2015 defended himself in an interview. He told Hindustan Times, “People were killed by armed forces; youth were showered with bullets. If they say I instigated people, let there be an international probe. Let the world know how the 120 youth were killed. I am not a terrorist, nor were the people who came out to protest. Ten lakh people gathered at Eidgah maidan (to protest against the killings). Did I instigate all of them? They were genuine freedom lovers who were demanding their right to be free. I am no Osama bin Laden. I am also a freedom lover who has spent 17 years in jail for that dream, and so have thousands of others like me. People in Kashmir don’t want to be with India.” ‘Disrespect towards constitutional authority’ The Union Home Ministry, in a notification, stated that 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. 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. The home ministry emphasised that the Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction) and its members show disrespect towards the constitutional authority and setup of the country.

Their unlawful activities undermine the integrity, sovereignty, security, and communal harmony of India.

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Additionally, there have been indications of the Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction) having linkages with banned terrorist organisations. The outfit and its members have been supporting terrorist activities with the intent to create terror in the country, thereby endangering its security and public order. Their anti-national activities demonstrate disregard and disrespect for the constitutional authority and sovereignty of India, the ministry said. The Central government believes that immediate action is necessary against the Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction) to curb its unlawful activities, which pose a threat to the territorial integrity, security, and sovereignty of the country. The outfit is likely to continue advocating the secession of Jammu and Kashmir from India, promoting false narratives, and inciting anti-national sentiments among the people of the region, which could disrupt public safety. Therefore, exercising the powers conferred by the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the Central government has declared the Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction) as an unlawful association with immediate effect, the ministry said. The ban will remain in effect for a period of five years from the date of its publication in the official gazette, unless otherwise ordered. With inputs from agencies