Jamaatsays notopolls We will follow 1989-policy : Ameer e jamaat Abdullah wani.. Influential politco-religious organization Jamaat-e-Islami Thursday categorically stated that it would not participate in the 2014 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s top decision-making body, Markazi Majlis-e-Shoura (Central Advisory Council) chaired by Jamaat Chief Muhammad Abdullah Wani at Batamaloo headquarters here. “The meeting unanimously decided to follow the party’s 1989 policy to stay away from electoral politics,” Wani told Greater Kashmir this evening. “We will neither participate in the Assembly elections nor in the Parliament polls.” Pertinently Jamaat-e-Islami continues to stay away from polls since 1987 when it was part of the then Muslim United Front (MUF). “From 1989 we have stayed away from active politics and have stood by the decision,” said Wani, who was elected as the Jamaat head on August 13 this year. The State is scheduled to go for Assembly elections in October-November next year when the National Conference-Congress government would complete its six-year term. Meanwhile, a statement on Jamaat website quoted Wani as saying that its policy on polls was not decided by considerations of loss or gain for any political party in Kashmir. “The issue pertains to the fundamental policy of Jamaat and any decision on the matter was only within the purview of Markazi Majlis-e-Shoura,” the statement said. After the eruption of militancy in the State in 1990, Jamaat was banned and declared as an “unlawful organization”. However in 1998, Jamaat reopened its main office at Batmaloo here with Ghulam Muhammad Bhat being elected as the party head. It was followed by the opening of the organization offices in other districts too and the party restarted its functioning. Over the years the Jamaat has been focusing on education and matters of religion. “We have offices in all the districts and recently the party elected districts presidents and administrators at Tehsil level also,” Wani said. The party was an important constituent of the undivided Hurriyat Conference till 2003. Earlier, Jamaat had made it clear that Jammu and Kashmir is a dispute and the party would have no objection if people decide to opt for complete independence. “We have always maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is a dispute and can be solved only within the auspices of United Nations (UN) resolutions or through tripartite dialogue,” Wani had said while speaking to media persons on the sidelines of an annual Conference in Nanil village in south Kashmir earlier this month. Any dialogue between India and Pakistan will be futile unless Kashmiris are involved in the exercise and their aspirations are honoured, he had said. “Though Jamaat-I-Islami wants the issue to be solved peacefully through UN resolutions but we won’t have any objection if people opt for independent Jammu and Kashmir through plebiscite,” said Wani. On whether Jamaat endorsed the election boycott call given by Hurriyat (G), Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Wani had said, “Geelani sahib has his own view point and we cannot interfere in it. As far Jamaat is concerned only Majlis-I-Shora of the party is authorized to take any decision on poll boycott issue.” #mEEr
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 04:08:31 +0000
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