Srinagar: With Jammu & Kashmir gearing up for the assembly elections, a top leader of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami has announced that the organisation will support independent candidates who align with their “values” and are committed to advocating for the lifting of the ban on JeI.

Ghulam Qadir Lone, former General Secretary of JeI, said, “The organisation’s support will be contingent on the candidates’ character and their willingness to aid in the legal efforts to remove the ban imposed on the Jamaat.”

We have decided to support those independent candidates only who we believe are satisfied with their characters and will help us, he said.

He added, “Though we haven’t seen any official order regarding the ban, we learned about it through media platforms. Earlier, we had decided that if the ban on the organisation was revoked, we would participate in the elections representing the Jamaat-e-Islami. However, since the ban was not lifted, we will continue to vote and remain active in the democratic process.”

Lone, a resident of Handwara’s Kralgund in north Kashmir, affirmed the organisation’s commitment to participating in the democratic process, saying, “We will cast our votes and have been continuously casting our votes, as it’s our constitutional and democratic right and the only way to pave the way for change.”

On the recent Lok Sabha elections, he said the public’s participation demonstrated renewed faith in the democratic process, as the “dark chapters of election rigging in 1987” were not repeated. “This Lok Sabha election was different from the past,” he added.

Lone, without specifying the candidates, said that it wouldn’t be possible for them to specify the candidates at this time. However, he assured that Jamaat-e-Islami would support those who stand by their commitments.

He clarified, “We haven’t contacted any party or individual yet, however, after the nominations are finalised, we will be able to decide whom to support and which candidates to endorse. The number of candidates we will support will be confirmed and cleared then only.”

The JeI leader reiterated the organisation’s stance that they have consistently maintained their distance from any sort of violence and terrorism and have sought to communicate their message within legal and constitutional boundaries.

“We have been continuously clarifying our stand since 1989 through press conferences and newspapers that we have nothing to do with violence and terrorism. We want to pass our message through legal and constitutional parameters to the people,” he said.

He expressed hope that the party that comes to power would work towards lifting the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) banned the JeI in 2019 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for five years. The ban was extended this year in February 2024, till 2029—(KNO)

Reader correspondent