Election interview| ‘Jamaat set for new beginning, people want change in Kashmir’

Kalimullah Lone, 35, is the face of a significant shift in the electoral landscape of Jammu and Kashmir: Return of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami to the election arena after 37 years during which it doggedly propagated poll boycotts and a separatist ideology. A PhD in computer science from National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, and the son of a veteran Jamaat leader, Lone is one of the dozen-odd Jamaat-backed candidates in the assembly elections. A contestant from Langate, the home constituency of Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, Lone spoke to Hindustan Times on the reasons behind the Jamaat’s turnaround, mood on the ground and his poll pitch. Edited excerpts:
What led to Jamaat-e-Islami’s decision to change its anti-election stance of 37 years and field or back independent candidates in this assembly election in J&K?
It’s the result of a lot of churning within the organisation since it was banned by the Centre after the 2019 events (abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K). However, the decision to contest the elections was not taken in a month or two.
The 1987 assembly election was a turning point in Kashmir’s recent history. That election, which the Jamaat contested, was widely seen to be rigged in favour of the National Conference. That angered people and triggered an era of violence in which Kashmiri Pandits were forced to migrate, while over 70% of the Jamaat’s 3,500 members were killed either by security forces or unidentified gunmen. There was a huge trust deficit in the fairness of holding polls and formed the basis of the Jamaat’s anti-election stand.
Our organisation never called for a mass poll boycott. Only its cadres were told not to participate in elections for the past 30 years.
How has that trust deficit been addressed?
Though there has been a debate within the Jamaat on taking part in the elections since 2008, a majority was against participation. Things changed after the 2019 ban. In 2021, a channel opened between the government and the Jamaat with the help of intermediaries. A five-member panel of the Jamaat, comprising senior members, including my father Ghulam Qadir Lone, had talks with the government that assured us on the fairness of the elections in Jammu and Kashmir. That laid the ground for addressing the trust gap.
The victory of a jailed candidate, Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, against established mainstream leaders, such as Omar Abdullah and Sajjad Lone, from Baramulla came as a proof of fair and free polls and firmed up the Jamaat’s move to field its independent candidates because it can’t contest directly due to the ban. Since the ban, Jamaat’s properties worth ₹5,000 crore have been seized. It has been facing an existential crisis. A lot is at stake. For us, participation in elections is a new beginning.
What has changed in J&K since 2019?
Nothing has changed. Things are worse. Unemployment is at its peak. There are no recruitments in the government. People of J&K are in a worse situation than ever before. After the Jamaat was banned, there has been a rise in the number of drug addicts in Kashmir. Nobody is talking about the drug problem, which is so serious that it has reached our homes.
How many Jamaat-backed candidates are in the fray?
In the first two phases, there are seven Jamaat-affiliated contestants in the fray. That may go up in the third phase. Also, the Jamaat may support some other independents.
What is the Jamaat candidates’ poll plank?
Article 25 of the Indian Constitution gives liberty to practise and preach your religion. The ban on the Jamaat is denial of that right. Kashmiri culture is under threat from outside influence promoted by the government in the name of cultural diversity. Then, we have a whole lot of local issues to talk about, including drugs, unemployment and scarcity of electricity and irrigation water.
Is Article 370 an election issue?
Not for the Jamaat. It may be an issue for other political parties. We will never get it back. This is unachievable. We can’t fool people.
Does the separatist’s electoral outing also reflect the new ground realities in the Valley?
It may or it may not. Violence by any side was never the way forward. There were so many cases of innocent people getting killed by security agencies, but justice was denied for years. Now, people have chosen the democratic way to express their protest and demands. My campaign is centered on peace, progress and prosperity.
What is your view on the return of Kashmiri Pandits?
They are very much part of Kashmir’s social fabric and must come back to their native places but not to the segregated colonies that the government has set up in Baramulla. Only the government is creating an impression about their insecurity.
Will the Jamaat stick to electoral politics irrespective of the assembly poll outcome?
This is not a test balloon. It’s a new beginning. We have moved beyond the strategy of poll boycott. We may or may not win this time because we are fighting elections after such a long gap and at a short notice. There will be a lot of other complexities associated with us. But we will only go through this process in a democratic way without violating any norms of the country. This decision (of electoral politics) is full and final regardless of the outcome on October 8. This election will form the base for us to stand on our feet to contest the panchayat elections later this year.
Both the NC and People’s Democratic Party have accused New Delhi of propping independent candidates with separatist backgrounds to split their votes?
Because they are feeling insecure and have nothing else to say. We draw our strength from the people.
What is your reading of the mood on ground?
People want change. They showed three months ago by electing Engineer Rashid as an MP while he was in jail.