Fareeda Behenji, Chairperson of the Jammu Kashmir Mass Movement, has formally distanced both herself and her organization from separatist groups active in the region, including both factions of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC).
In an affidavit accessed, Behenji stated unequivocally that neither she nor her party has any association or links with APHC (G), APHC (M), their constituent parties, or any other organization advocating separatist ideologies. She emphasized that the goals and narratives promoted by such platforms do not reflect the views of her or her political movement.
Behenji went on to criticize the separatist leadership for failing to address the real issues and aspirations of the people of Jammu Kashmir, asserting that her party believes in working within the constitutional framework of India.
“I am a loyal citizen of India,” she declared, underlining her and her organization’s commitment to the Constitution of India. She further cautioned that any attempt to misrepresent her association with separatist elements would be met with legal action.
This public declaration is seen as a significant development, particularly at a time when political alignments and affiliations in Jammu and Kashmir continue to shift amid broader regional and national dynamics.
The process of public disassociation from separatist platforms in Jammu Kashmir began in 2020, when Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the tallest figure in the separatist movement, resigned from his faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). In a strongly worded statement, Geelani cited “internal dysfunction, nepotism, and the failure of the leadership” to respond effectively after the abrogation of Article 370 as reasons for his “complete dissociation” from the forum—though he did not renounce his separatist ideology.
This marked a significant turning point, followed by a growing trend in which individuals with past or familial ties to separatist groups began publicly affirming allegiance to India. In 2023 and 2024, several such declarations were made, including by Zafar Akbar Bhat, Ruwa Shah, granddaughter of Geelani, and Sama Shabir, daughter of jailed separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, published public notices in newspapers asserting their loyalty to the Constitution of India and distancing themselves from separatist ideologies.
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
