Srinagar: Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) has forged a last-minute “strategic” alliance with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) to contest the polls in the Kashmir valley.
The pact was finalised on Sunday by Rashid and the prominent leaders of Jamaat, including Ghulam Qadir Wani, head of the banned organisation’s eight-member panel formed to talk with the Centre over contesting the elections. The JeI’s chief election in charge, Shamim Ahmad Thoker confirmed the development to ETV Bharat.
In a statement released after the crucial meeting, the AIP said the goal was to secure a resounding victory for AIP and JeI-backed candidates and to ensure that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have strong representatives who can articulate their sentiments and aspirations.
“This collaboration marks a significant step towards achieving a united front in the pursuit of peace, justice, and political empowerment for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement reads.
Rashid’s AIP has fielded more than 30 seats while the Jamaat is backing independent candidates, who were members of the religio-political organisation. Currently, the Awami Ittehad Party is not registered with the Election Commission of India so its candidates are also in the fray as Independents. The party intensified its election campaign after the release of Rashid from Tihar Jail on interim bail till October 1.
The JeI has fielded candidates in Pulwama, Kulgam, Zainapora, and Devsar assembly constituencies in south Kashmir which is slated for polling on September 18 in the first phase. It has fielded candidates in Beerwah, Langate, Bandipora, Baramulla, Sopore and Rafiabad assembly segments.
Langate is the home segment of Rashid which he has represented twice in the erstwhile state’s assembly. In the upcoming elections, the AIP supremo has also fielded his brother Sheikh Khursheed, who quit his teaching job in the J&K government.
“In areas where both AIP and JeI have fielded candidates, the alliance has agreed to a ‘friendly contest,’ particularly in constituencies like Langate, Devsar and Zainapora. In other constituencies, mutual support will be extended to ensure a unified approach to the elections,” the AIP statement said.
“Both parties underscored the importance of unity in resolving the Kashmir issue and promoting a lasting and dignified peace in the region. They highlighted the rapidly evolving political landscape, both regionally and internationally, and stressed that neither JEI nor AIP can afford to remain passive observers,” the statement adds.
To recall, the Jamaat witnessed a major split in 2004, when separatist and former Jamaat leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani ended his long association with it and formed the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH). Some leaders anticipate that the last-minute decision to ally with Rashid’s AIP would create further rifts.
The Jamaat-e-Islami was banned by the BJP-led Central government on February 28, 2019, after the Pulwama suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The government launched a major crackdown against the organisation by arresting its leaders and sympathisers while sealing its properties and offices across the Kashmir valley.
In anticipation of the central government lifting the ban, the JeI leaders voted in the parliament elections and fielded its candidates as independents in Kashmir. Regional parties National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been accusing AIP and the banned JeI-backed independents as proxies and agents of the BJP.
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