Politics intensified in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after the administration has decided to close all schools run by Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT) affiliated with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI).
While BJP has hailed this decision, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Conference, and other parties have opposed this move.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said that the ban on schools run by FATis another form of atrocity inflicted on the people of Jammu and Kashmir to "sabotage" their future.
"After land ownership, resources and jobs the last target is education. I am sure Kashmiris will overcome this and not let their children suffer", Mehbooba Mufti tweeted.
Peoples' Conference president Sajad Gani Lone said that the ban on FAT-affiliated schools is discriminatory.
"Selectively cracking down on institutions which have religious affiliations is grossly unfair and unjust. The administration must understand that J&K is an overwhelmingly Muslim majority state. They cannot possibly ban every institution because they have a bias against Muslims. It seems that they are intentionally targeting the Kashmiris for petty electoral gains in the rest of the country", he said.
Move to ban FAT affiliated schools is another form of atrocity inflicted on people of J&K to sabotage their future. After land ownership, resources & jobs the last target is education. I am sure Kashmiris will overcome this & not let their children suffer .
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) June 19, 2022
Chief of Apni Party Syed Altaf Bukhari said that the ban on FAT runs schools is "unwarranted" and an "uncalled for decision" in light of the academic contributions of such schools and the spread of moral education in Kashmir.
Bukhari said the decision against these schools is fraught with huge consequences that will not only ruin the academic career of thousands of students but will also render hundreds of families of school staff members bereft of recurring sustenance.
Welcoming the decision, the spokesperson for the J&K Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Ranbir Singh Panthania said that this decision would help in stopping youth from becoming radical. He said that students of these schools will be admitted to government schools.
Schools linked to FAT banned in J&K
The J&K government on Monday banned several schools affiliated with FAT. The students studying in these schools have been asked to immediately take admission to government-run schools.
All the chief education officers (CEOs) in consultation with the district administration have been directed to seal the banned institutions within 15 days, reads an order, issued by the government.
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, frauds, and encroachment of government lands.
Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) is a radical outfit proscribed by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
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.
