Suhail Khan
Baramulla, Sep 26: Jamaat-e-Islami stated on Thursday that the Kashmir issue will be resolved only through dialogue.
Speaking exclusively with Kashmir Despatch, Shameem Ahmad Thakur, the panel Spokesperson of Jamaat-e-Islami, said that the Kashmir issue and all other issues of Jammu and Kashmir can only be resolved through dialogue.
He said that all the stakeholders should sit at the table and find a solution to every issue.
He said we will not compromise with our ideology, and if we are forced, then there will be nooses around our necks.
He further said that the Kashmir issue should be resolved democratically, politically, and peacefully. All parties should sit and engage in dialogue.
Thakur said that they had hoped Government of India to talk to their imprisoned leaders like Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah, Masrat Alam, and Asiya Andrabi, and seek leniency for them, especially the women.
He said that Jamaat-e-Islami is fighting for the revocation of the ban as well as for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that they had hoped that the ban would be lifted and they would contest 50 seats, however, after the ban was not lifted, they are now contesting independently on some seats.
He said that now they are trying to contest on some seats to assert their rights, so that their candidates can bring transparency at the grassroots level.
Jamaat-e-Islami was banned for five years in February 2019 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, accused of having close ties with terrorist organizations and promoting subversive activities aimed at establishing an Islamic state within Indian territory. The Ministry of Home Affairs extended this ban for an additional five years in February 2024.
Pertinently, in a changing scenario in Kashmir’s electoral landscape, members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, including individuals under police surveillance, have announced their candidacy for this assembly elections.
This unprecedented move sees separatists and those accused of terror funding challenging established political parties like the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
