Jammu-Kashmir Election 2024: Afzal Guru’s Brother, Former Militants Form Political Group To Contest Polls

J&K is set to witness assembly polls after a decade. The assembly polls are set to be held in three phases from September 18 to October 1.

J&K is set to witness assembly polls after a decade. The assembly polls are set to be held in three phases from September 18 to October 1. Representational Image.

Source : PTI

Jammu And Kashmir Elections: As Jammu and Kashmir gears up for assembly elections after a long time, several former militants and separatists, and their relatives, have banded together to form a political group named Tahreek-e-Awam to contest polls.

Jammu and Kashmir is set to witness assembly polls after a decade. The elections are set to be held in three phases from September 18 to October 1.

Former militants and separatists will contest as independent candidates under the group’s banner. The group has former members of the banned J&K Jamaat-e-Islami, many of whom have a plan to join the poll race. Among the candidates is Ajaz Ahmad Guru, brother of Afzal Guru.

“This is a good beginning. We should be allowed to contest the elections to prove ourselves in society. An MLA can do better social work than anybody else,” Adil Ahmad, a member of the group, was quoted by the Times of India (TOI) as saying,

The decision by these former separatists was influenced by the election victory of Abdul Rashid Sheikh, known as Engineer Rashid, who defeated National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah and People’s Conference President Sajad Gani Lone in the Lok Sabha elections despite being imprisoned, according to TOI sources.

Ajaz Ahmad Guru Among Key Figures

Ajaz Ahmad Guru, brother of Mohammad Afzal Guru, is among the key figures in the poll race. Afzal Guru was hanged in 2013 after being convicted for his role in the 2001 Parliament attack.

Another prominent name is Sarjan Barkati. He is currently imprisoned in Srinagar on antinational charges pertaining to organising stone-throwing protests in 2016 following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Barkati, known as the “Kashmiri Pied Piper,"  has been in jail since August 2023.

According to the TOI report, his wife was arrested in November last year in a terrorism-funding case. Barkati’s daughter is likely to announce his candidacy in the coming days.

Baramulla MP Rashid, currently held in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail on terrorism-funding charges, ran his campaign through his two sons and managed to secure more than 4.7 lakh votes, largely attributed to sympathy and Kashmiri sentiment.

According to TOI sources, members of Tahreek-e-Awam see an opportunity in this wave of sentiment and aim to replicate Rashid’s success.