India targets overseas Kashmiris over social media posts
Use of anti-terror law against diaspora voices highlights how dissent on Kashmir is routinely criminalized as “anti-national”
SRINAGAR, Kashmir (MNTV) — Indian authorities have moved to prosecute three Kashmiris living in the United States and Germany under sweeping anti-terror legislation, a case that rights advocates say reflects a longstanding pattern in which political expression by Kashmiris is reframed as criminal conspiracy.
A special court designated under India’s National Investigation Agency framework has issued proclamations ordering Mubeen Ahmad Shah and Azizul Hassan Ashai, also known as Tony Ashai, both originally from Srinagar and now based in the United States, and Rifat Wani, a resident of Kupwara district currently living in Germany, to appear before the court by the end of January.
The case has been registered under provisions of the Indian Penal Code related to public order, alongside Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) — an anti-terror law increasingly used in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir against journalists, activists, and political commentators who challenge New Delhi’s control of the territory.
Police authorities allege the men “weaponized” social media to incite unrest. In Kashmir, however, such accusations have routinely been leveled against individuals who speak about political rights, military presence, or the disputed status of the territory.
Calls for self-determination, criticism of security operations, or documentation of civilian harm have frequently been framed by the state as threats to national security.
Since India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019, public space for dissent has shrunk dramatically. Thousands have been detained, often without trial, under preventive and counterterror laws.
Journalists and digital commentators have faced questioning, raids, and prosecutions for reporting on protests, human rights concerns, or everyday realities under heavy militarization.
The current case extends that crackdown beyond India’s borders. By targeting Kashmiris based overseas for online speech, authorities appear to be signalling that physical distance offers little protection from legal action at home.
Legal observers say proclamations issued by special courts can pave the way for property seizures and international legal requests, intensifying pressure on diaspora voices.
Indian officials routinely describe such cases as efforts to combat “secessionist” narratives. Civil rights groups counter that the label functions as a political tool — collapsing peaceful advocacy, journalism, and historical claims into the language of terrorism.
The UAPA, they note, allows individuals to be charged without proving acts of violence, blurring the line between dissent and militancy.
For Kashmiris, the case reinforces a familiar reality: speaking about their political future, even from abroad and even online, can be enough to trigger the most severe provisions of India’s security laws.
What the state calls “anti-national activity,” many Kashmiris see as the denial of a basic right to political expression in one of the world’s most militarized regions.
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