 Early Times Report
Jammu, May 15: Reposing faith in the democratic institutions of the country, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday expressed its desire to contest the coming Assembly elections in the Union Territory.
Interacting with a Kashmir-based news agency, Panel Head of the Jamaat-e-Islami Ghulam Qadir Wani said that they have never given a call for a poll boycott.
“Give me evidence when Jamaat-e-Islami has given a call for a poll boycott. People on their own boycotted successive elections. We firmly believe in the democracy and democratic system”, Wani, who has cast his vote in the Lok Sabha elections, said.
“There has been no shift in the ideology of Jamat e Islami, We have consistently upheld the principles of democracy and have never advocated for a boycott of elections”, he said.
Wani was seen casting vote in the May 13 polls for Srinagar Lok Sabha polls.
“We will contest the coming assembly elections in J&K provided the Union Government would lift a ban on the organization”, he said.
“We will field our own candidates if the Centre revokes the ban on us. There are other issues but revocation of the ban is the first pre-condition to join the poll fray,” Wani said.
He said socio-religious reforms would be the poll plank of JeI besides drug abuse and growing immortality.
Wani revealed a crucial session of Jam Give me evidence when Jamaat-e-Islami has given a call for a poll boycott.
We firmly believe in democracy and democratic system
We will contest the coming assembly elections in J&K provided ban is lifted.
We will field our own candidates .
Important to mention here that after leveling allegations of mass rigging in the 1987 assembly elections, Jamaat-e-Islami never contested elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir Jamaat-e-Islami, a radical outfit, was banned on February 28, 2019, by the Home Ministry for allegedly being involved in subversive activities in the region. The Union Ministry had claimed the organization has close links with secessionists and terrorist groups and contests the merger of J&K into the Union of India.
Post ban on the JeI, authorities had carried massive crackdown on its first and second-line leadership and detained its hundreds of members and associates across J&K.
The J&K government also banned several schools affiliated with FAT. The students studying in these schools were asked to immediately take admission to government-run schools.
The FAT is an affiliate of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) which is proscribed by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of J&K Police accused FAT of gross illegalities, fraud, and encroachment of government lands.
The order comes in the backdrop of the SIA’s investigations and a majority of these schools are allegedly built on illegally occupied government land. | 