SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir’s religio-political organisation Jama’at-e-Islami on Thursday distanced itself from militancy, saying it never supported militancy in the state nor will it support it.
“Our organisation’s constitution does not allow any underground activities,” newly-elected chief of Jama’at-e-Islami Ghulam Mohammad Bhat told mediapersons.
Organisation’s constitution is an open book, he said. “We have never taken up arms and consider Kashmir as a disputed area and will continue our peaceful struggle for resolution of the issue through peaceful democratic means,” he said.
Asked whether militant group Hizbul Mujahideen was the armed wing of the organisation, he said: “Hizbul supremo Syed Salah-ud-Din had already clarified in 1990s that there was no link between the two and Hizb was operating independently and represents people of J&K.”
“During my last tenure as Jama’at chief, I had also clarified in 1997 that Hizb was not our militant wing and we did not have any links with the militant group.”
Asked whether Jama’at would contest elections in the State, he said his organisation would not contest elections. “We lost trust in India’s electoral system after rigging in the 1987 Assembly elections.” He said Jama’at has no plans to contest elections but added that if any third party, preferably the United Nations, conducts elections in the State, the organisation would not shy away from electoral politics. Asked about allegations that Jama’at supporters voted for the PDP during the last Assembly elections, especially in South Kashmir, Bhat said: “The allegations about Jama’at supporting the PDP are baseless. We ourselves found two of our members guilty of doing so in Kulgam district and took action them.”
Maintaining that his organisation considers Kashmir a “human issue”, he said: “We want it to be resolved either through implementing UN resolutions or tripartite talks.”