Jamaat-e-Islami is set to participate in the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir after 37 years of mediation by the central government in India. National Conference leader and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah termed Jamaat’s participation in the election as a ‘good thing’.
At the same time, he expressed anger towards the once banned political party. Welcoming the Jamaat’s participation in active politics, Omar said it had to explain to the people “why they have so much blood on their hands”.
Omar told NDTV on Friday, “But the question remains what was achieved by the blood bath?” So many houses were destroyed, thousands of lives were lost. Our graveyard is full because of them.’
In 2018, the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir was dissolved. Then in August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and split the state into two Union Territories. As a result, this state
It became a union territory of Delhi. In February of that year, the Jamaat was banned by the central government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have been claiming that after the abrogation of Article 370, Kashmir has become a ‘Niketan of Peace’.
Many believe that Delhi wants to undermine the power of the two main parties in Kashmir, the People’s Democratic Party and the National Conference. BJP also wants to reduce the influence of Congress. For this reason, the central government wants to bring Jamaat into the polls. Besides, it is also an attempt to make the Jamaat loyal to the state and make the separatists powerless.
According to the Supreme Court of India’s verdict, the Jammu-Kashmir assembly polls should be held by September this year. Jamaat last contested the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls in 1987. There were allegations of massive rigging in that vote.
After that, Jamaat turned away from politics openly and turned towards conflict and fighting. In 1998, Jamaat withdrew from violent movement by declaring.
