Suhail Khan
Sopore, 15th: The former secretary of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) stated that Article 370 will never come back, it has been abolished and now nothing can be done about it, so we should not live on the hope of its restoration.
Talking exclusively with Kashmir Despatch, Ghulam Qadir Lone, said that they cannot tell their people things that are not possible, ‘Article 370’ has been abolished and it can never be restored by anyone.
He said that now nothing can be done about Article 370, so should not deceive the people by telling them that it will come back.
Ghulam Qadir said that it is wrong to claim that Article 370 will be restored, as it was a political bait that was used by political parties, and now that it has been taken away, it is not possible for it to be restored.
He said that there was an option that if a “India Alliance”had promised in their manifesto to restore “Article 370” and then won maximum seats, they could have restored it through the courts. However, recently Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference in Jammu, said that they will restore the statehood, which makes it clear that even the BJP cannot restore Article 370. Therefore, people should now understand that what has been abolished can never come back.
Former General Secretary of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, Ghulam Qadir Lone, further said that they tell their youth to learn to live in this country, to create employment, and to stay away from social evils.
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).
