 |
| Khawaja Mujataba Banday arrested in Muzaffarabad |
The arrest of JKNSF Central President Khawaja Mujataba Banday is nothing new. Over the past two years, 17 FIRs have been registered against our friends in Muzaffarabad, including Saddam Wani, Saad Dar, Mudassir Chishti, Raja Kaifi, Ahmed, and others. While some cases were closed, they were reopened whenever NSF (National Students Federation) carried out any activity or whenever the Action Committee issued a call. This has become a tool to harass our youth. I cannot mention everyone's name here due to space constraints, but I salute the brave youth of Muzaffarabad, who continue to resist despite repeated crackdowns.
Whenever
they step out, they challenge the oppressors, declaring:
"This
land is ours, we will fight for it, and we will govern it ourselves."
On February 18, after a program organized by the Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (NSF) and National Awami Party, an FIR was filed, accusing participants of raising slogans against the army and institutions.
But we ask:
- Which institutions?
- Which army?
- What blasphemy was committed?
Even Pakistan’s own constitution acknowledges that Kashmir is a disputed territory, so what exactly is the Pakistani army and its notorious ISI doing here?
Crimes of the Army and Its Institutions
This is the same army that:
- Desecrated the Quran and opened fire inside Lal Masjid.
- Massacred innocent children in the APS Peshawar attack.
- Handed over Dr. Aafia Siddiqui to the United States.
- Slaughtered Kashmiris through proxy wars, targeting Faheem Karam, Arshad Baloch, Raja Behzad, Farrukh Qureshi, and many more.
- Committed human rights violations in Balochistan and Waziristan, killing thousands.
And now, when we expose their crimes, they claim we are guilty of disrespecting the army?
A dog is called a dog and a swine is called a swine—we will not call them doves.
Suppression of Political Activists
Recently,
a life-threatening
attack
was carried out on a National
Council
member of the Jammu
Kashmir National Awami Party.
Where
were the so-called institutions
then? Where was the law?
Or was it blind and asleep?
The truth is that these authorities are terrified of the unarmed youth of Muzaffarabad. From the NSF’s past reign to the present, they tremble at the thought of our growing movement. They know that if the youth are not suppressed today, they will strengthen NSF into a powerful force tomorrow—one that will unite the people under the banner of the National Awami Party.
This fear is why their cowardice is now on full display. The ISI, operating from the shadows, orchestrates these crackdowns. But when Muzaffarabad’s youth decided not to surrender, opting instead to seek legal remedies and register their protest at the UN office, what happened?
As expected, the authorities panicked. They arrested our comrades because they had no legal justification to hold them. Tomorrow, they will revive another old case to keep up their repression.
Appeal to Lawyers and Civil Society
I urge the Bar Association of Muzaffarabad and the legal community to question:
Under what law was this FIR registered?
In a disputed region, are we expected to chant slogans in favor of our oppressors?
The Bar Association must take a stand. Jails and handcuffs have always been tools of oppression, used at the behest of their foreign masters. But history tells us that such oppression always fails.
I call upon every politically aware activist, lawyer, and member of civil society to reject this black ordinance that seeks to suppress unarmed youth through fabricated cases. If our comrades choose legal means, the authorities abandon the law and obey the big boots instead.
We strongly condemn these actions.
A Message to NSF and All Fighters for Justice
To
my comrades in the Jammu
Kashmir National Students Federation (NSF):
You
have always been a
thorn in their side,
both in the past and today. Continue your struggle with
courage.
We will fight against this oppression on every front.
I salute all those who have stood firm over the past year, resisting despite endless attacks.
And remember—this is their downfall.
