Power struggle erupts in banned Jamaat-e-Islami as old guard rises

Srinagar, Sep 7 (PTI) Internal fissures are growing in the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) outfit in Jammu and Kashmir as a group headed by old guard stalwart Ghulam Mohammed Bhat is trying to capture the organisation, according to officials here.

Bhat, once responsible for marginalising hardliners such as Syed Ali Shah Geelani, is once again coming forward with the support of 35 members of the influential 40-member 'Shoora' (advisory council) of the organisation.

The move is being interpreted by analysts as a strategic effort by the proscribed outfit, which is operating covertly, to enter into serious negotiations with the government to lift the five-year ban, which was recently extended.

The entry of Bhat in the scene has been disturbing for vested interests across the border, as he has in the past also distanced the Jamaat from the banned terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, an outfit used by Pakistan's ISI to project that terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is indigenous.

The government accuses the Jamaat of engaging in activities against "the security, integrity, and sovereignty of the nation" and of having ties to militant groups and separatist activities.

Bhat came into the limelight for the first time in 1999 when, as the head of JeI, he distanced the organisation officially from terrorism.

This move, however, created a deep divide in the organisation, resulting in the emergence of Tehreek-i-Hurriyat (TeH) in 2003 by hardliners such as Syed Ali Geelani and Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai who quit the JeI.

The present internal struggle is understood to have started when a group headed by Ghulam Qadir Wani and Ghulam Qadir War made the decision to contest the parliamentary elections on the Justice and Development Front (JDF) ticket.

After their loss, pressure was brought upon them to step down, and most of the Shoora opposed them.

This led to Bhat, along with Mohammed Abdullah Wani and Sheikh Hasan, publicly distancing themselves from the JDF faction and forming an interim setup with the support of the majority of the Shoora, dismissing the ten district chiefs who had supported the Wani-led faction.

The faction has established a new centre of power within the proscribed organisation, which is eager to negotiate with authorities to have the ban lifted, according to sources.

The People's Alliance for Change (PAC), created in June by People Conference leader and MLA Sajad Lone with PDF and JDF, seems to be anchored on a weak foundation, with critics doubting its efficacy in inflicting a meaningful dent on the political landscape.

The coalition, comprising Lone's People's Conference, Hakim Yasin's People's Democratic Front (PDF) and JDF, was initiated with the agenda to present a consolidated front to "drive change" among the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Yet, the legitimacy of the PAC is under threat because of the seeming frailty of the JDF. As sources indicate, the JDF was compelled to change its name following opposition from the core Jamaat cadre, a sign of profound internal divisions and absence of broad-based support that it would need to be an effective ally in a new political coalition.

The decision of some of the Jamaat members to fight the 2024 assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir was seen as a major milestone in the ideological journey of the socio-politico-religious organisation, which was seen as a contributor to past destruction in the state.

However, political analysts believe that the expression of electoral ambitions mirrors the crisis that the outfit has been facing since 2019, when the Union government tightened the strings on separatist groups and their sympathisers, including Jamaat.

Some in Kashmir believed that after remaining in political wilderness for more than three decades, the decision of some of the Jamaat members to contest could change the contours of the conflict but they could not make any dent in the electoral game and many of them lost their deposits.

With the change in guard, it is expected that a comprehensive road map would be adopted in case the Jamaat decides to test the electoral waters yet again in the Union territory.

In the past, Jamaat got some political space when People's Democratic Party (PDP) founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed formed a coalition government with the Congress in 2002.

Under Sayeed's rule, the outfit reopened its offices, schools, libraries and charity organisations which continued till February 2019 when it was banned by the Centre under the stringent UAPA. PTI SKL RT RT