J&K: Jamaat e Islami Kashmir looking for legitimacy by offering to participate in elections if ban is revoked

Some days ago, the outlawed Jamaat e Islami of Kashmir said that it was ready to contest elections if the ban on it was revoked. The late Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the most recognised face of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir, was a Jamaat leader for a long time until being eased out in 2003 during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s tenure as Chief Minister. For a very long period before that, Geelani had represented Jamaat in the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), a conglomerate of secessionist and separatist Kashmiri politicians.

Incidentally, Geelani remains the best recognised face of Jamaat till date and was elected a member of the legislative assembly of Jammu & Kashmir three times, in 1972, then 1977 and again in 1987. Geelani was a candidate propped up by Muslim United Front (MUF) in 1987 which are widely believed to have been rigged by the coalition of the Congress and the National Conference which ruled J&K then.

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It bears mention here that Mufti was the senior-most Congress leader at that time, but Rajiv Gandhi made him a Rajya Sabha member in 1986 to move him away from Kashmir. It is an open secret that Rajiv’s friendship with Farooq Abdullah was a barrier in the way of Mufti realising his ambitions of becoming Chief Minister. The pen and ink pot symbol of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of Muftis was earlier MUF’s electoral symbol.

Yusuf Shah, better known as Syed Salahuddin of Hizbul Mujahideen, now living in Pakistan under the protective cover of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), was a MUF candidate from Batmaloo in downtown Srinagar. His political agent then was Yasin Malik, who founded Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) later and is presently incarcerated in Tihar jail.

In short, a good number of former Jamaat leaders, or those closely associated with them, have remained visible faces of separatist and secessionist ideology. Their pro-Pakistan leanings and speeches made in the Jamaat controlled mosques are a common knowledge for those who follow Kashmir politics closely. At one time, Jamaat used to run dozens to schools that dotted the Kashmir valley teaching but more importantly preparing the young students for Islamist preachings.

With the Union Home Ministry banning Jamaat in 2019, and declaring it an illegal entity, its support base has eroded somewhat in the last five years. The statement regarding Jamaat being ready to take part in elections was made by Ghulam Qadir Wani of Gussu (Pulwama) on May 15 (Wednesday). Jamaat members had voted in the Srinagar elections held on May 13 held two days before Wani made the statement.

Wani said the decision to contest elections was taken at a meeting of of JeI’s Majlis e Shoora, the apex body of Jamaat. He said socio-religious reforms would be the poll plank of his party if ban on it is revoked as “it believed in democracy’’.

Jamaat has traditionally pursued a separatist and secessionist brand of politics, which often pits it against the NC. Be it Sheikh Abdullah, the founder of the party, or his son Farooq Abdullah, Jamaat leaders were often considered a thorn in their flesh. On more than a couple of occasions, the NC has used the state apparatus at its disposal to keep Jamaat at bay and in check. No Central leader has taken note of Jamaat leader Wani’s statement busy as everyone appears to be in electioneering now.