India intensifies legal offensive against Kashmiri resistance leadership
Salahuddin arrest warrant aims to delegitimize struggle under UN charter
Srinagar: As part of India’s sustained legal and psychological campaign to malign and delegitimize the Kashmiris’ struggle for their UN-recognized right to self-determination, an Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir has issued a non-bailable warrant against Kashmiri resistance leader Syed Salahuddin.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Special Judge designated under the NIA Act in Budgam district issued the warrant in a fabricated case registered against him under various provisions of the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 506 of the now-defunct Ranbir Penal Code. The court directed the police to arrest Salahuddin, citing that he was “evading arrest”.
Syed Salahuddin, who has been in Azad Jammu and Kashmir since 1993 amid intensified Indian military operations in occupied Kashmir, is a prominent figure associated with the Kashmiri resistance movement.
Observers say the issuance of the non-bailable warrant is largely symbolic and part of India’s broader legal and psychological campaign to criminalize and delegitimize the Kashmiris’ legitimate freedom struggle under the UN Charter by targeting its leadership through courts and agencies such as the NIA. They maintain that New Delhi has no legal or moral authority to issue such warrants, as Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory acknowledged by the United Nations.
In recent years, Indian authorities have also attached properties allegedly linked to Salahuddin and his family members and taken punitive actions against his relatives, moves widely criticized by rights groups as collective punishment and a clear violation of international human rights norms.
Political analysts say these measures reflect India’s reliance on coercive laws, special courts and investigative agencies to suppress dissent in IIOJK, instead of resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and relevant UN resolutions.
