Banned Jamaat-e-Islami reposes faith in democracy, ready to contest assembly polls

In an ideological shift, the banned Jamaat-e-Islami of Jammu and Kashmir reposed faith in the democratic institutions of the country by expressing 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 were never against the democratic system and their organization has never given a call for a poll boycott.

"Give us evidence when Jamaat-e-Islami has given a call for a poll boycott in Jammu and Kashmir. 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 on the Srinagar Parliamentary seat on May 13, 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 Jamaat's Majlis-e Shoora was held and a decision was taken to contest polls.
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.

Jamaat was banned in 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack

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 came in the backdrop of the SIA's investigations and a majority of these schools are allegedly built on illegally occupied government land.