Srinagar, May 15: Former chief minister and National Conference (NC) candidate for Baramulla Lok Sabha seat Omar Abdullah on Wednesday welcomed Jamaat-e-Islami J&K’s decision to participate in the upcoming assembly elections in September 2024 if the Centre revokes the ban on the organisation.
Addressing a series of public meetings and roadshows in Pattan and Tangmarg constituencies in north Kashmir, Omar said, “It is not easy and we cannot fight this battle alone, we need the full to advance this struggle of bringing back what was snatched from us undemocratically.”
Reacting to JeI about lifting the ban, the NC vice president said, “It is good to see Jamaat-e-Islami entering the electoral process. The Government of India should remove the ban so that they can come forward.”
Although there have been many reports of them supporting various parties, they should now come forward and field their own candidates, he added.
While campaigning in Pattan, he expressed deep concern about the “difficult times” in J&K and spoke about the “displacement of people from their lands” and the “continuous attacks on religious sentiments”.
Omar blamed these issues on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “selfish political motives” and urged people to hold accountable the parties symbolised by the apple, batball and bucket.
“When we talk or do something, it’s for everyone, not just a few. When we made new administrative units, it was to help anyone in need, not just one group,” he said.
The former CM said the NC when in power stopped the process of checking and blacklisting people, not just for some, but for everyone in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We believed that no one should be punished for someone else’s mistake. But now, even kids whose family members were militants long ago are facing problems getting jobs or passports,” he said. “Many of our young people are in jail without good reasons. We want to help them. But to do that, we need to win the upcoming elections. The parliamentary elections are like a semi-final, and the assembly elections are the final.”
Abdullah added, “After removing Articles 370 and 35A, big promises were made, but we haven’t seen any improvements. Jobs meant for us are going to outsiders. We still don’t have enough schools, hospitals, or jobs. Instead, liquor shops are everywhere, making huge profits while regular shopkeepers struggle to make ends meet.”
