Pro-freedom space shrinking in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

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FE Team | Published: March 04, 2019 21:42:29

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MUZAFFARABAD, Mar 04 (Al Jazeera): Political parties seeking independence for the entire disputed territory of Kashmir from both Indian and Pakistani control are facing a fresh round of intimidation and legal action in the Pakistan-administered portion of the region, political activists say.
The government of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, known locally as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), denies that it is restricting space for pro-freedom parties, while electoral analysts say those parties have historically had marginal support in the territory.
The same parties in India-administered Kashmir regularly face arrests, arbitrary detentions and other alleged human rights abuses while in custody, activists told Al Jazeera.
Last month, court hearings were held in a "treason" case lodged against 19 activists of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), a Srinagar-based pro-freedom party, for allegedly shouting slogans calling for both India and Pakistan to leave Kashmir.
"Our slogans were that Kashmir should have the right of self-determination and that Indian and Pakistani forces should both leave Kashmir," Toqeer Gilani, the Pakistan-administered Kashmir chief of JKLF, told Al Jazeera.
"They objected to us saying that Pakistani military forces should leave Kashmir."
Gilani said the slogans were shouted during a conference organised by the student wing of his party in the town of Kotli, 80km east of the Pakistani capital Islamabad, in November. A fresh case was lodged following the latest hearing, he added.
Since gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars over the disputed territory of Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of.
Since 1989, thousands have fought in an armed movement for the separation of Kashmir from Indian control. Some armed groups demand accession to Pakistan, others advocate complete independence for the territory, home to 16 million people.
Indian security forces have carried out an increasingly intense crackdown on separatist groups on their side of the Line of Control, which separates the two portions of Kashmir, resulting in scores of detentions, extrajudicial killings and alleged human rights violations.
The JKLF, led by Yasin Malik, is a political group that has advocated for independence. It is headquartered in Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, but maintains a presence in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
"We told the judge that we confess to the cases, so you can arrest us if you want," said Gilani, who was one of the 19 named in the latest case.
Hearings in the case are ongoing, with all 19 activists out on bail.
Analysts say pro-freedom parties have historically had limited electoral influence or support in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.