Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 27: The jailed separatist leader, Sarjan Ahmad Wagey alias Sarjan Barkati, and four former members of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) are contesting Assembly elections from South Kashmir that is voting on September 18.
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Sarjan Barkati who shot to prominence during the turmoil which erupted following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in 2016, will be contesting elections from the Zainapora Shopian.
Barkati is lodged in a jail after he was rearrested by the State Investigation Agency (SIA) in August last year in a criminal case of crowdfunding and money laundering. Later his wife was also arrested. The SIA has accused them of generating an amount of Rs 1.50 crore through crowdfunding and then using a portion of it for sustaining the secessionist-terrorist campaign and diverting a substantial part of the funds for personal benefit.
Barkati’s daughter, Sugra Barkati, filed the nomination papers on behalf of her father. The burqa clad Sugra started her day from her village Reban in Zainapora Shopian early in the morning appealing people to accompany her to the office of the Returning Officer to file nomination papers from Shopian Assembly constituency on behalf of her father.
Scores of emotionally charged youth and women joined her and seeking release of her father and mother who are facing terror funding charges. She appealed people to vote for her jailed father.
She broke down while shouting slogans in favour of her parents. However, later she led scores of people to the RO office and filed the nomination papers.
Four former members – Talat Majeed, Sayar Ahmad Reshi, Nazir Ahmad Bhat and Umar Hamid- of the banned JeI also filed nomination papers to contest the Assembly polls as Independent candidates from Pulwama, Kulgam, Devsar and Zainapora Assembly constituencies.
As Jamaat cannot take part in the elections due to the ban imposed on it, it had shown interest in participating in the polls during the Lok Sabha elections if the ban was removed. They have now formed a party – Justice and Development Front (JDF) – to contest polls.
Jamaat has not taken part in any elections after 1987 and had been a part of separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference, which advocated for poll boycotts, from 1993 to 2003.
Talat Majeed, former District ameer (chief) of Jamaat, filed his nomination papers from Pulwama constituency as an Independent candidate. He said that after pondering over the changing geo-political scenario since 2008, he felt the need to shun some of the past “rigidities”.
“In view of the prevalent geo-political scenario, I felt that time had come for us to take part in the political process. I have been expressing my views since 2014 very openly and I am taking that agenda forward even today,” he said.
Majeed said organisations like Jamaat and Hurriyat Conference have a role to play in the current political scenario.
“We cannot ignore the situation globally when we talk about the situation in Kashmir. As Kashmiris, we should live in the present and look towards a (better) future,” he added.
Sayar Ahmad Reshi, another former Jamaat leader, is also contesting the elections from the Kulgam Assembly seat.
Reshi appealed to the people to vote according to their conscience.
“It is up to Allah to bless or disgrace a person… but I will appeal to people to vote as per their conscience,” he said, adding “we will launch a historic movement for reforms”.
Reshi, while admitting that the youth have been weaned away from violence by introducing them to sports, said the youngsters need jobs.
“There is no doubt that the youth have been given bats but it will not fill their stomach. There is unemployment and killings are going on. Elderly people have to run from pillar to post just for a meagre old age pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. We will work for social justice,” he added.
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