Would have contested 50 seats if ban was lifted: Ex-JeI leaders

Baramulla, Sep 26:: The former General Secretary of banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Ghulam Qadir Lone on Thursday stated that they would have contested in 50 Assembly constituencies had the Government of India (GoI) lifted the ban on their party.

Addressing a gathering at Dak Bungalow Chijhama Rafiabad, and all the independent candidates who are backed by banned Jamaat in the upcoming Assembly elections in north Kashmir, Lone said that the continuous ban on the party was evidence of their suppression.

“The teams of GoI raided our houses, locked our schools but they did not find even a single penny which was obtained through illegal means. But it is unfortunate that the ban still continues on the party,” he said. He said their participation in the Assembly elections-2024 was nothing new for them as they have been participating in the election in the past as well.

“When we were asked to participate in the elections, I categorically told the authorities that we have participated in 1969, 1977 and 1987 elections and participation in 2024 Assembly elections will not be anything new for us,” Lone said.

He said that in the last Parliament elections, the party acknowledged that the elections were held without any rigging anywhere. “So after that we decided that we will participate in the Assembly elections. Had the Centre lifted the ban on our party, we would have contested on 50 seats in Jammu and Kashmir,” the former JeI leader said.

He said that they however decided to support some independent candidates wherever they felt that the candidates were worth it and would raise voices to highlight the issues faced by banned Jamaat.

“We have three elected parliament members out of whom two attended the parliament and got the chance to speak as well but they touched every topic except the issues and problems faced by JeI. So we thought of sending our own representatives to the Assembly,” Lone said.

Later, the panel spokesperson of banned Jamaat-e-Islami Shameem Ahmad Thakur, said that the Kashmir issue and all other issues of Jammu and Kashmir will be resolved only through dialogue.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the convention, Thakur said that all the stakeholders should sit at the table and find a solution to every issue.

“We will not compromise with our ideology, and if we are forced, then there will be nooses around our necks. The Kashmir issue has to be resolved democratically and peacefully for which all the parties should sit and engage in the dialogue,” he said.