Pulwama, Sep 18 (KNO): Jammat-e-Islami was never against the democratic process but they stayed away from the process as a mark of protest against the rigging in 1987, Jammat spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Speaking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) Jamaat-e-Islami Panel head spokesperson Shamim Ahmad Thoker after casting his vote in Thokerpora Pulwama said that after 10 years voters have got an opportunity to cast their votes as there was vacuum in democracy and we need to fill that vacuum for the resolution of national and local issues.
He said that for the resolution of issues, an elected government is necessary so that people must come en masse and cast their votes.
"I hope that the voting turnout this year will be very high as this year Jammat-e-Islami is taking part in elections after a long time," he said.
He said that there is no candidate of Jammat-e-Islami in Rajpora but as their alliance with AIP so they are voting for AIP and AIP is voting for Jammat-e-Islami backed candidates where AIP has no candidate.
He said that Jammat-e-Islami wasn't against taking part in elections but after rigging in 1987, Jammat as a mark of protest stayed away from elections.
He said that since 1987 no government or institution condemned the rigging and for the first time since then the establishment reached to them and assured them that fair elections will be held after which they decided to take part in it.
"In the recently held Parliamentary elections, elections were held in a transparent manner that gave us faith to rejoin the process," he said.
He claimed that their head Mohmmad Abdullah Wani in 2014 had said that Jammat can contest elections if any institution will assure them of free and fair elections but nobody came then and now govt institutions contacted us and we are taking part in it—(KNO)