GG News Bureau
Srinagar, 16th May. The banned group Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) has said that it is in talks with the Centre and expressed willingness to contest elections if the ban on the Islamist organization is lifted in Jammu and Kashmir. This statement comes ahead of Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Srinagar this evening.
JeI was banned in 2019 under the anti-terror law UAPA for being an unlawful organization. The group was perceived as a key player behind the separatist movement in Kashmir and as an ideological mentor of the terrorist organization Hizbul Mujahideen. As Home Minister Shah is set to meet several delegations in Srinagar, there is speculation about whether a Jamaat delegation will also meet him.
However, official sources have clarified that there is no plan for a meeting between Jamaat leaders and the Home Minister during his visit. “There is engagement with the group at some level, but no such meeting is scheduled with the Home Minister,” a source said, adding that leaders of other political groups will be meeting Mr. Shah to review the political situation in the Valley.
Ghulam Qadir Wani, a senior JeI leader, stated that the party is ready to participate in elections if the Centre lifts the ban. He noted that this decision has the support of Jamaat’s Majlis-e-Shoora, the highest decision-making body of the Islamist group. “We have the backing of Majlis-e-Shoora. The Shoora has taken a decision. Jamaat is an ideology and we want to restore the Jamaat,” said Mr. Wani. “We want the ban on Jamaat to be lifted, and for that, we are engaged in talks with the Centre.”
Home Minister Shah has previously remarked that JeI and the Hurriyat Conference, which did not initially believe in the Constitution, had participated in voting in Srinagar.
Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also called for the lifting of the ban on JeI after the group expressed its readiness to contest elections. The National Conference leader appealed to the Home Minister to lift the ban a day before his Srinagar visit. Abdullah suggested that Jamaat should directly contest polls rather than discreetly supporting other parties, as they have done in past elections.
This shift in Jamaat’s stance, moving away from separatist ideology towards mainstream politics, is seen as a significant success for the central government amid ongoing general elections.
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