New Delhi: The outlawed organization Jamaat-e-Islami is prepared to form a political party in Ramzaan. The Jammu Kashmir Justice Development Front will be the name of the party. The group has applied for recognition and symbol allocation from the Election Commission.
“As the party will now be known as the JDF, we have applied to the Election Commission and requested that a symbol of scales be given to us,” Shamim Ahmed Thoker, the leader of the group’s J&K unit, told NDTV over the phone.
He claimed that the foundation had been laid since their advisory committee had approved the formation of a party.
“Emirs of all districts of Jamaat have been consulted and all are of the opinion that we need to come out in political arena for betterment of our region,” he stated.
Jamaat members ran as Independents in the assembly elections held last year.
“That time no consensus was there among senior core group, but this time all have been consulted and decision has been taken,” he stated. He stated that his cadre was also scared to publicly support and advocate for its independent candidates.
The People’s Democratic Party of Mehbooba Mufti is said to suffer the most from Jamaat’s political involvement.
According to a retired senior officer who served in the Valley in the 1990s, “the decision to form a political party is going to be a significant milestone in the ideological trajectory of the socio-politico-religious outfit,”
Supporters of Jamaat are well-behaved. I acknowledge that some parties benefited from them, but that will no longer be the case,” Shamim continued.
In Jammu & Kashmir, there are over 5,000 members of Jamaat. Additionally, it has a significant influence in South Asian nations and a global reach.
In August of last year, after widespread protests that claimed more than 200 lives, Bangladesh banned Jamaat. It remains a powerful political force in Pakistan. The gang is more in line with its Pakistani counterpart in Kashmir.
The Center banned the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for five years in 2019 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in response to the Pulwama terror attack in February 2019, which claimed the lives of forty CRPF members.
The prohibition was extended for an additional five years in February 2024. Jamaat had previously been outlawed twice, in 1975 and 1990.
The Union Home Ministry declared that the group was “prejudicial to the sovereignty, security, and integrity of India” since it was discovered to be “fomenting terrorism” and “anti-India propaganda” in order to support “secessionism” in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Home Ministry also stated that the organization’s participation in “subversive activities”—such as attempting to establish an Islamic State outside of Union of India territory—must be prohibited.
“We hope the Center also trusts us and lifts the ban on us, as we have demonstrated our faith in democracy,” Shamim Ahmed Thoker continued.
