The banned outfit Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) has fielded three of its former members as independent candidates to contest the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir to be held in three phases from September 18 to October 1. On Tuesday, Jamaat-e-Islami’s independent candidate Talat Majeed filed his nomination papers from Pulwama constituency. Earlier, the outfit was planning to field seven of its candidates as independents in the first phase of polling on September 18, three of them backed out at the last moment.
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The Jamaat-e-Islami has now finalised its three independent candidates, while it is still in talks with the fourth candidate. On Monday, Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC) chief Sajad Gani Lone described Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) members as “victims” and said they have been jailed and were imprisoned along with his father Abdul Gani Lone, who was killed in Srinagar on May 21, 2002.
Lone also said that they (Jamaat-e-Islami associates) have “experienced imprisonment, torture and the most painful times. They know what pain is and hence they are in a better position to understand the suffering of others.” Media reports have claimed that several former militants and separatists have come together to form a political group to contest the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. It was suggested that the group comprises former members of the JeI. The group has been named ‘Tehreek-e-Awam’, the report said.
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On Sunday (August 25), People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said that the banned outfit’s willingness to contest assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir is a good move. She also said that the ban on JeI should be lifted. The Jamaat is an Islamist and pro-Pakistan organisation that has been linked to violence against Hindus in the past. Since the ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power, the country has been engulfed in a wave of violence against Hindus and other ethnic minorities.
