The Indian government imposed a five-year ban on the Awami Action Committee and Kashmir Muslim Ittihadul Muslimeen.
The authorities justified the decision by claiming it was necessary to protect India's sovereignty, integrity, and security. According to Kashmir Media Service, the two organisations were accused of supporting militancy, promoting anti-India narratives, and collecting funds.
The Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Ittihadul Muslimeen, led by Masroor Abbas Ansari, also faced the ban for demanding the right to self-determination. Ansari expressed, "We will not be silenced by these tactics; our struggle for the rights of the Kashmiri people will continue." The All Parties Hurriyat Conference denounced the ban, labelling it as an attempt to suppress the political voice of the Kashmiri people.
Over the past two decades, numerous Islamic libraries and madrassas had been seized or shut down. In February 2025, police raided several bookshops, confiscating hundreds of copies of books by the renowned Islamic scholar, Maulana Maududi.
Moreover, in an ongoing effort to suppress Muslim culture, over 500 restrictions were imposed on Kashmiri mosques in the last four years. Schools teaching the Kashmiri language were either shut down or converted into Hindi-medium institutions.
The number of music and poetry teaching institutions dwindled drastically, from 90 to just 15 in the span of 25 years. Additionally, the region’s traditional industries, such as carpet weaving and shawl making, had been left in a state of decline.
The Indian government's actions have sparked widespread outrage and further strained tensions in the already volatile region.
