Kulgam, Sept 08: Breaking the shackles first time after 1987, in a show of strength, the banned Jamaat-e-Islami on Sunday organised a massive rally in Bugam area of Kulgam district of South Kashmir where its candidates in fray promised to talk about Kashmir, Kashmiris and political prisoners, if elected.
The massive show was put up a day after Union Minister Jitendra Singh asserted those separatists who decide to join the national mainstream cannot be deprived of this democratic opportunity.
Thousands of people showed up in a first ever rally organised by the JeI in Bugam area of Kulgam, first time after 1987. JeI is in the poll pray first time in over three decades despite being banned. The socio-religious organisation that had been staying away from the polls whenever elections were held in J&K in the past three decades.
Its change of heart came to fore after massive participation of people in the Lok Sabha polls held in April-May in which a record voting of 58 per cent was witnessed. In February this year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extended the ban against Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI)-Jammu Kashmir under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) 1967 for another five years. JeI was first declared an “unlawful association” on February 28, 2019 by the MHA.
“We are here to say that the vacuum created by the regional political parties need to be filled. The sea of people are our strength. Fingers will be raised against us and we will be criticised as well, but this is the reality,” said JeI candidate Sayar Ahmed Reshi.
Another candidate Aijaz Mir said if elected, he will serve the people of Kashmir without any compromise. “We will not promote corruption. We will work in a transparent manner. We will talk about Kashmir and Kashmiris. We will represent the aspirations of people in the Assembly,” Mir said. Bugam area of Kulgam was known for boycotting polls but today’s massive attendance of people in the JeI rally has raised eyebrows from Kashmir to Delhi.
The candidates fielded by JeI are fighting polls as independent with a hope that if they are elected, they will fight for the lifting of the ban on JeI. JeI’s panel head, Ghulam Qadir Wani said that earlier no body was talking to them. “Now institutions have approached us and people also talked to us which ultimately paved way for us to join the poll fray,” he said, without disclosing who approached them.
It may be recalled it was in 1987 when JeI had contested elections first time under the banner of Muslim United Front (MUF). The polls, paved for eruption of militancy in Kashmir after reports of rigging came to fore even as the National Conference claimed victory. The 1987 elections produced, however, produced Muhammad Yousuf alias Syed Salahudin who is based in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and is heading the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit. Post 1987 elections, many local youth crossed over to other side of LoC and Kashmir witnessed full-fledged militancy.
With some separatists contesting in Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday asserted had those who decide to join the national mainstream cannot be deprived of this democratic opportunity.
“If any separatist has decided to join the national mainstream by fighting elections, should he be deprived of this democratic opportunity?
“(NC founder Sheikh) Abdullah after spending 12 years in prison came out the same way and became the chief minister. We cannot have two different yardsticks,” Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, told reporters here while replying to queries on separatists entering the electoral fray.
On former chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah’s claim that the BJP has “struck a deal” with some regional parties and independents candidates to be part of the government in J-K, the minister said, “The BJP does not need proxies to fight elections as we are ourselves capable enough to form the government”.
