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Jammat-backed Independent files papers from J&K’s Langate
In the third phase of J&K polls, five to six more Independents backed by Jamaat are expected to file their nomination papers by the deadline of September 12
A young master’s in computer science graduate, Kalimullah Lone, on Tuesday filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Langate constituency in north Kashmir. He will be backed by Jamaat-e-Islami.
Lone, 35, hailing from Ananwan village in Langate, is son of former Jamaat-e-Islami general secretary, Ghulam Qadir Lone, who contested election as joint candidate of Muslim United Front (MuF) in 1987 and garnered nearly 10,000 votes.
“I had planned to file nomination papers yesterday but due to delay in some paperwork I filed it today,” Lone said, adding that healthcare and education sectors were his priorities, adding, “Our area is backward, so my focus will be on health and education besides tackling drug menace which is affecting a large number of youth.”
The youngster faces an uphill battle against Khursheed Ahmad, the brother of Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid and Kupwara district development council chairperson Irfan Panditpori, People’s Conference candidate.
Jamaat is already backing five to six Independents in fray in the first phase and around 10 to 12 in the second. In the third phase, five to six more Independents backed by Jamaat are expected to file their nomination papers by the deadline of September 12.
The Centre had in 2019 imposed a five-year ban on the Jamaat, citing the outfit’s ties with terrorist groups. It had first been banned in 1975 and again in 1990, at the beginning of the militancy in Kashmir.
Almost all the political leaders have welcomed participation of Jamaat in the elections, with former chief minister Omar Abdullah terming it a victory of democracy before advocating to lift the ban. PDP, Apni Party and People’s Conference have also requested the Centre to revoke the ban on Jamaat.
