Former Jamaat e Islami general secretary has said that the candidates of now banned Jamaat will focus on issues of employment and development, if voted to power.
Ghulam Qadir Lone, in conversation with a local media house said that Jamaat e Islami runs no social media pages and all the pages spreading anti-India propaganda have no affiliation with the organisation. “We are peaceful citizens of India and all those spreading propaganda against us must be punished as per law,” he told media.
Jamaat e Islami has always worked as per the law. “We are peaceful citizens who have always held in high regard the constitutional values of the country. We cannot contest as a party since the ban on Jamaat has been upheld,” Ghulam Qadir said.
If our candidates, who are likely to contest independently will work for the people of the region. “Our agenda is simple. We will work for the betterment of the people. Our members will focus on the apple industry and focus on building roads too. Unemployment is a key issue and we will try to address it,” said Ghulam Qadir.
The party will focus on removal of ban over the organisation, he said.
Lone stated, “We haven’t finalized how many will run as independents yet, but we’ll have clarity soon. Although we hoped JeI could contest, the Tribunal’s ban prevents us from running as a party. Nonetheless, we’ll vote and support candidates who address key issues like fruit industry concerns and unemployment.”
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) is planning to significantly impact the upcoming Assembly elections in Kashmir by fielding its former members as Independent candidates across at least a dozen constituencies, particularly in south Kashmir, Daily Excelsior reported.
These former Jamaat members, now under the banner of the newly-formed Justice and Development Front (JDF), will be contesting from areas traditionally considered strongholds of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The JDF, which couldn’t be officially registered as a political party due to time constraints, will still participate actively in the elections.
According to a source within the party, they are likely to contest in constituencies such as Pulwama, Rajpora, Tral, Bijbehara, Anantnag, Kulgam, Devsar, and Zainapora. These are regions where the PDP, already weakened by the exodus of many of its leaders since 2019, might face a formidable challenge.
Shameem Ahmad Thokar, who is expected to run from the Pulwama constituency, confirmed to Daily Excelsior that a list of candidates for the first phase of elections would be released soon, with 4-5 candidates likely to contest from South Kashmir.
Thokar himself plans to file his nomination papers on Tuesday.
In addition to south Kashmir, the Jamaat may extend its influence in North Kashmir by supporting candidates from the Awami Itihad Party, led by jailed leader Abdul Rashid Sheikh, also known as Engineer Rashid.
In the recent Parliament elections, Jamaat cadres supported Engineer Rashid, who achieved a decisive victory over National Conference leader and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The JeI, which has stayed away from elections since 1987 and supported the separatist movement in Kashmir since 1989, when the power dynamics shifted in the valley.
However, the organization has been waiting for the lifting of a ban imposed on it in February 2019.
Despite multiple attempts this year to have the ban lifted, it was upheld on Friday, pushing Jamaat members to contest the elections independently.