Activists face blasphemy charges in Pakistani-administered Kashmir

August 30, 2024

Joint statement and appeal by Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) and Revolutionary Students Front (RSF)

There is an alarming development in Pakistan-administrated Jammu Kashmir (officially called Azad Jammu Kashmir or AJK), where two young activists have been framed with frivolous charges of blasphemy—a grave offence in Pakistan and its held territories. Deputy Chief Organizer of Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) Arslan Shani and a female activist of the organization, Asma Batool, are being victimized with accusations of blasphemy, with the former on the run and the latter already under police arrest. Both these activists have played leading roles in the recent People’s Rights Movement, which won the right to affordable electricity for the 4.5 million inhabitants of Pakistan-held Kashmir. It should be noted that Jammu Kashmir is a disputed territory divided between regional imperialist powers, Pakistan and India, with China also controlling some parts. The oppressed masses of Kashmir have been waging a courageous and determined struggle for emancipation from national oppression and class exploitation for decades, with the youth leading the way and making countless sacrifices.

In recent months, the state authorities—who were previously compelled to accept the demands of the aforementioned movement—are retaliating against activists who were at the forefront of the movement, seeking to punish them. They have hired the services of religious fundamentalists and criminal elements to file these baseless police cases. It should also be kept in mind that the blasphemy laws, in their current form, were introduced by the draconian military regime of Zia-ul-Haq, a dictator backed by US imperialism in order to crush the struggles of working masses and students in Pakistan, and, more importantly, to fight the counter-revolutionary imperialist war (the so called Afghan Jihad) against the revolutionary government in Afghanistan. Innumerable people, mostly from already oppressed minorities, have fallen victim to these laws since their introduction in 1980s. Religious fundamentalists and other reactionary elements exploit allegations of blasphemy for their political objectives or, in many cases, simply to blackmail and settle personal scores. In almost all cases, the courts are either complicit or succumbing to the pressure from religious extremists. Victims are often denied the right to a fair trial, with no lawyers willing to represent them. Additionally, there have been numerous instances where the accused and their lawyers were shot dead either in court or even after acquittal. As a result, the lives of the accused are always in grave danger.

The context of the current incident is that Arslan Shani shared a piece of protest poetry on social media in response to the recent gruesome gang rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata, India. This post was later shared by Asma Batool—a socialist feminist and a fearless advocate for women’s rightson social media and elsewhere—from Arslan Shani’s Facebook account. The horrific rape in the Kolkata hospital and the subsequent mass protests and strikes have profoundly shaken Indian society, with effects felt in Pakistan and beyond. The comrades were expressing their outrage against gender violence and exploitation in the crisis-ridden societies in this part of the world. Notably, the same poetic verses have been widely shared across social media in the region, including Pakistan. Using a viral social media post as grounds for charging and arresting political activists demonstrates that the state’s true intention is to intimidate revolutionary youth and suppress any dissenting voices.

In this context, a joint statement previously issued by Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) and Revolutionary Students Front (RSF) said,

If this (act of repression) is not resisted and stopped here, many more activists could fall victims to this campaign of intimidation by the state. We warn both the imperialists and the local ruling elite to exercise prudence and refrain from inciting public outrage, as they will be held fully responsible for any escalation in the situation. We demand that the state’s support and sponsorship of religious fundamentalist elements must be withdrawn, and the series of retaliatory actions against the revolutionary youth should end immediately. Otherwise, we will exercise our constitutional and democratic right to protest across the entire country, from Jammu Kashmir to Karachi. We will raise the issue internationally in front of the youth, workers and human rights forums. In the spirit of the class slogan ‘an injury to one is an injury to all’ we appeal to progressive organizations, trade unions and movements of resistance across the globe to express solidarity with the arrested comrades. Comrade Arslan Shani and others like him have already endured severe state repression and imprisonment during the recent movement, yet they remain steadfast in their revolutionary mission. The youth of the JKNSF and RSF will not be intimidated or coerced by such heinous tactics.

Drop the false charges and police cases against Arslan Shani and Asma Batool

Release Asma Batool

Endstate oppression

Long live the class solidarity of the oppressed masses

Down with capitalism and imperialism

Time is running out. Act now to condemn this vile act of oppression by the Government of AJK. Record your protest and express solidarity with the victims using the contact details of the authorities listed below, in order of importance.

Government of AJK

Email: [email protected]