Shutdown in Tral against arrest of Jamaat e Islami leaders

SRINAGAR, (PTK): A complete Shutdown observed in Tral town of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district against the arrest of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders.

Eyewitness told News agency Press Trust of Kashmir that shutdown in town was observed following the arrest of tens of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders of the sub-division including Noor Mohamad Tral who was arrested today during a night raid.

Pertinently, crackdown on Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists continued started since Friday last week and is continuously going on throughout the valley during which hundreds of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders were arrested.

Meanwhile Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said that ban on Jamaat-e-Islami is unfortunate as jamaat e Islami schools were providing education to the poorest of poor in Kashmir.

“There is an atmosphere of vengeance in the state, especially in the Valley after JeI youths and leaders were arrested. JeI is a social and political organisation. It is an ideology and I do not think you can imprison an ideology by arresting some activists of the outfit. We totally condemn it,” Mehbooba told reporters at the PDP headquarters here.

The PDP president said while there was no action against those persons responsible for incidents of lynching in the country, “a social organisation involved in helping the poor” in Kashmir has been banned.

“You have Shiv Sena, Jan Sangh, RSS in the country who have lynched people on the basis of eating a type of meat, but there was no action. However, an organisation which has been helping the poor and running schools has been banned and its activists put in jails. We will not allow this. Its consequences will be dangerous,” she said.

Mehbooba asked the Centre not to turn Jammu and Kashmir into a prison. “You cannot imprison an ideology, we live in a democratic nation and in a democracy, there is battle of ideas. If you have a better idea, let there be a battle on that, but do not turn J-K into a prison.

“We had not allowed the BJP to do whatever it is doing now (during the PDP-BJP coalition), but unfortunately there is no one to stop them (now). When a Kashmiri is beaten, people applaud and become happy,” she said.

“It is unfortunate as these schools were providing education to the poorest of poor. Their students are meritorious. Where will all these students go after their schools have been banned. They are playing with our future and this is very wrong. They should rather ban (RSS) shakhas where swords are displayed. No Jamaati carries a sword,” she said.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Spokesperson Rafi Mir slammed BJP led Central government’s decision to ban Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, saying it is against the essence of democracy which allows space to opposing political thoughts.

While speaking to News agency Press Trust of Kashmir Rafi Mir said, “it is fourth time that government banned Jamaat-e-Islami in Jammu and Kashmir but they can’t achieve anything”.

He added that the schools of Jamaat e Islami are recognised by government and what about the career of these students by arresting Jamaat leader.

He added that democracy is a battle of ideas. “Crackdown followed by banning of Jamaat Islami (JK) is condemnable, another example of high handedness and muscular approach of GOI to deal with political issue of Jammu and Kashmir”, he added.

The Centre on Thursday banned the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir for a period of five years citing reasons that the outfit was in “close touch” with militant outfits. The Jamaat-e-Islami was banned under anti-terror laws with the Centre aiming at preventing any “escalation of secessionist movement” in the state.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued the banning order a few days after the Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested around 100 people, including the Jamaat-e-Islami chief, and claimed that the outfit was involved in activities intended at disrupting India’s integrity.

Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir is a socio-political and religious organisation that was founded in 1945 as a chapter of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind during the Independence movement.

Jamaat-e-Islami was separated from its parent organisation in 1953 over differences in political ideology.

The Jamaat-e-Islami was an influential founder member of the undivided Hurriyat Conference from its inception in 1993 till 2003, when the amalgam suffered a vertical split led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani over alleged proxy participation in 2002 Assembly polls by some leaders of the People’s Conference led by Sajad Gani Lone.

The Jamaat withdrew from the Hurriyat and decided to focus on its social work while maintaining its separatist stand on Kashmir issue.

The cadre-based party has a powerful Majlis-e-Shoora (advisory council) which takes decisions on important issues through consensus.

The second tier of the organisation consists of Rukn-e-Jamaat (pillar of Jamaat), who in turn elect the Majlis-e-Shoora. The number of Rukn-e-Jamaat can vary from 100 to 300 but for getting into this elite group, one has to fulfill certain criteria which can take more than a decade at least. (PTK)