Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday criticised the declaration of Darul Uloom Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom as an “unlawful entity” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, calling it a “flagrant injustice” to underprivileged communities.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on April 24 declared the south Kashmir-based Siraj-ul-Uloom an unlawful association under the UAPA, a stringent anti-terror law, citing concerns over its activities.
The move comes days after the J&K government took over 58 schools allegedly linked to banned Jamaat-e-Islami and Falah-e-Aam Trust. Siraj-ul-Uloom has also become the first seminary declared unlawful in J&K.
Mehbooba accused the government in Jammu and Kashmir of acting as a “mute bystander” and a “timid enabler” in the face of what she described as assaults on the region’s identity and dignity.
In a post on X, she said declaring the institution unlawful is a “flagrant injustice” to poor and underprivileged sections of society.
She noted that the seminary had long served as a centre of quality education for students unable to afford expensive schooling and had produced reputed doctors and professionals who contributed to the nation.
“Banning these altruistic institutions without any solid evidence of anti national activity shows a deep seated prejudice & ill intention,” she said.
Hurriyat Conference chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also criticised the decision, alleging a broader pattern of “harassment and disempowerment” in the region.
In his post on X, the Mirwaiz said multiple agencies were pursuing citizens “under one pretext or another,” while properties were being confiscated and youth were booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and lodged in jails outside the union Territory.
“A sitting MP is denied bail to visit his critically ill father and now a leading educational institute with a rich legacy of serving the underprivileged and producing scholars, doctors, engineers, and professionals is declared unlawful under stringent UAPA! ” he said.
He questioned how long such policies would continue and asked both the Lieutenant Governor-led administration and the elected government to clarify their stance.
“Can the LG administration tell people of Kashmir clearly how long they will continue this policy of harassment and disempowerment? And can the elected Government tell us how long they will let this happen,” he asked.
