Kashmiri political and religious leaders denounced the move as part of a broader pattern of New Delhi’s overreach.An important Islamic seminary in Kashmir has been declared unlawful under anti-terror laws, prompting backlash from prominent religious and political leaders in the Indian-administered territory.Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg issued the order based on a police dossier that alleged “sustained and covert links” between the seminary and the banned political party Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), local media reported.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe seminary, Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom, is one of the largest in southern Kashmir and is recognised by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education.The dossier stated that members of Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom’s management and faculty were linked to JeI. It also cited other allegations related to land use and financial transparency.The move was handed down under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), a much-criticised law that allows authorities to designate someone a “terrorist” without evidence.Seminary chairman Mohammad Shafi Lone has reportedly rejected the allegations.“We are a law-abiding institute and have nothing to do with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami,” the Hindustan Times reported him as saying. “This order has created panic among parents and students enrolled here.”Leaders in Muslim-majority Kashmir criticised the move as part of an ongoing campaign of overreach by New Delhi.“Declaring Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom ‘unlawful’ under UAPA is the latest act in a calculated dismantling of Kashmir’s civic life,” wrote Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a member of Jammu and Kashmir parliament, on X. “The pattern is unmistakable. Trusts, mosques, libraries and now seminaries serving underprivileged children, every social and nongovernmental instit …
