It was a significant day for banned outfit Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) on Thursday, which has been historically boycotting elections in Jammu and Kashmir since 1987 and has now decided to enter the poll arena by fielding candidates who are contesting independently for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
Hafiz Mohammad Sikander Malik of the JeI filed his nomination papers for the Bandipora constituency as an independent candidate.
A resident of Gundpora in Bandipora, Malik served as district president of the JeI until it was banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Malik was arrested in 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A and was twice booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) and The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
He was later released on bail on December 2, 2023, and wears a GPS-enabled monitoring anklet which helps police track his whereabouts.
He was also wearing it while filing his nomination papers.
Notably, several leaders of the banned JeI have fielded candidates as independents for the elections from north and south Kashmir constituencies, challenging some big names such as Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Iltija Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party, who are contesting from Kulgam and Bijbehara Anantnag, respectively.
In Pulwama JeI has fielded its candidate against Waheed Para who is making his debut in the Assembly elections though he also contested in the Lok Sabha elections against seasoned politician and now MP Aga Ruhullah of the NC and lost.
JeI exerts significant influence on the sociopolitical and socio-religious discourse in south Kashmir and pockets of north Kashmir.
Experts point out that their lack of political understanding and internal dissent are likely to hamper their chances in the forthcoming elections.
It will be interesting to see whether the people of Kashmir will give JeI a chance to become a major political force in the Valley.
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