Srinagar, February 28: Socio-religious group Jamaat-e-Islami of Jammu & Kashmir has been banned by the central government. The order was issued late on Thursday, with a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stating that the Jamaat has been declared illegal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

"Under Section 3 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the central government declares the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), Jammu and Kashmir as an 'unlawful association'," said the statement issued by the MHA. After Crackdown on Separatists in Jammu & Kashmir, Home Ministry Airlifts 100 Para Companies to Srinagar.

Leaders linked to JeI were raided in the Valley last week, as part of a crackdown on separatist elements following the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama.

In the raids conducted by J&K Police on February 22-23, Jamaat chief Dr Abdul Hamid Fayaz, his spokesperson Zahid Ali and nearly two dozen cadres were taken into custody. The cadres were held up from several parts of South Kashmir, including Anantnag, Pahalgam, Dialgam and Tral.

The Jamaat, which turned operational in the 1990s' after being banned for over a decade, has termed the fresh crackdown by the Centre as "fishy", coming at a time when the Valley is tense over the legal challenge to Article 35-A.

“…The way forces personnel unleashed the spree of mass arrest and detained dozens of Jamaat members prior to the hearing seems something is hatching behind the curtains. Any attempt of eroding or tampering Article 35A is unacceptable for people of Jammu and Kashmir,” said the statement issued by JeI.

The banning of Jamaat also comes days after the Tehreek-e-Mujahideen, a militant separatist group, was declared an "unlawful" organisation by the Home Ministry under the UAPA Act.

Notably, the JeI of Kashmir is not affiliated to the Jamaat-e-Islami functional in all other parts in India. The latter has taken a nationalistic stand since the independence, and had voiced against partition on theocratic lines. On the contrary, the Jamaat in the Valley has shared affiliations with the JeI of Pakistan.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2019 11:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).