Separatist cleric, 4 nominees backed by Jamaat file papers
Besides Barkati, four to five independent candidates, backed by Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) filed their nominations from different constituencies of south Kashmir on the last day of filing nominations for 24 seats in J&K voting for which will be held on September 18
Sarjan Ahmad Wagay, alias Sarjan Barkati , a popular cleric known for his 2016 ‘pro-Azadi’ oratory and leading protests against the killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani and is in jail for illegal fund raising to allegedly propagate radicalism, has decided to plunge into mainstream politics and fight the upcoming assembly elections.
Besides Barkati, four to five independent candidates, backed by Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) filed their nominations from different constituencies of south Kashmir on the last day of filing nominations for 24 seats in J&K voting for which will be held on September 18. Barkat, though a separatist, is not part of Jamaat.
Former Jamaat activists filed nominations from Pulwama, Devsar and Kulgam segments and sought support from the people. Wearing a traditional white skull cap and coloured neck-tie, Sayyar Ahmad, a Jamaat-supported candidate, said they are here to change the destiny of Kulgam constituency....”We want to create a peaceful environment here where everyone has the right to speak and live peacefully,” said Ahmad while his supporters raised slogans.
Another Jamaat backed candidate, Nazir Ahmad who filed nomination from Devsar, said that people are aware about his credentials so he is very much hopeful that he will receive public support..”Youth are very much annoyed with the leaders who got elected in the past. I hope they will give me a chance this time.”
Barkati is, however, the first jailed separatist leader to have filed nomination papers in the first phase of elections which will be held on September 18. His daughter Sughra Barkati filed nominations on his behalf. Already many people with separatist backgrounds have decided to take the plunge into the electoral process this year as Independent candidates.
Jamaat was banned in 2019 for anti-India activities. Despite the ban, Jamaat’s members have decided to test the political waters by taking part in the electoral process. In the first phase, around five to seven candidates backed by Jamaat will participate in the elections.
In fact, the first former member of JeI to file nomination also on Tuesday was Talat Majeed who will fight from Pulwama constituency.
Taking a cue from the sons of incarcerated legislator Engineer Abdul Rashid who won Baramulla Lok Sabha seat earlier this year after his family run the election campaign in the hope of his release, Barkati’s daughter Sughra Barkati started to canvass for her father in the home constituency of Zainapora in Shopian from Tuesday.
Wearing an all covering burqa, Sughra climbed a vehicle on Tuesday and cued her fellow villagers as she marched from Reban to file her father’s nomination papers. Sughra’s mother, Shabroza Bano is also in jail in connection with the case filed against Barkati.
“Now my father needs you. I hope you also accompany us. My father will be watching from his jail saying that my village has proudly come out for me… he may have eyes on us and he shouldn’t feel that my innocent children have been left alone,” she said as she raised slogans in favour of her parents and burst into tears. “Mere baba kadam badav, meri ammi kadam badav,” she shouted as a gathering of people, mostly women, answered “hum tumhare saath hai”.
Sughra who was accompanied by a large number of people filed nominations on behalf of her father who is presently lodged in Srinagar central jail.
The development is reminiscent of the start of the campaign by the son of Baramulla MP Engineer Abdul Rashid who is in Tihar jail under UAPA charges. His son ran an emotional campaign seeking votes to ensure the release of Rashid, who would raise his voice against alleged human rights violations, ultimately ensuring his win by getting 4.72 lakh votes.
Interestingly, Rashid had often raised his voice against the arrest of Barkati in J&K assembly in 2017.
Since October 2016, Barkati has been mostly in jail. He was arrested on October 1, 2016 under Public Safety Act after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani against which he gave many speeches and sang ‘pro-Azadi’ rhythmic slogans getting the name ‘Azadi Chacha’ or pied-piper. Police said that Sarjan Barkati was a central figure in “orchestrating large-scale protests, rallies, and clashes with security forces in 2016, for which more than 30 FIRs were registered against him in various police stations of the Valley.”
He was released in Oct 2020 and then again arrested in August 2023 by Kashmir State Investigation Agency for allegedly orchestrating a fund-raising campaign and raising crores. “The case pertains to Barkati’s involvement in orchestrating an extensive fund-raising campaign through crowd funding, resulting in the generation of funds amounting to crores. These funds were subsequently misused, involving money laundering and acquisition of undisclosed assets for propagation of radicalism within Kashmir,” police had said in a statement.
Shopian in the past was known as a separatist hotbed and has witnessed many encounters between terrorists and security forces. In 2014 and 2009, PDP had won the Shopian seat.
In the past Shopian and Kulgam was known as the support base of Jamaat-e-Islami as the party candidates prior to militancy used to get good vote share from the constituency. There is every likelihood that Jamaat’s panel which is overseeing the process of elections will throw its weight behind Barkati who used to address big rallies after the killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani.
Barkati who is not associated with Jamaat, however has an affiliation with the other religious school of thought known as Barelvi, the sect which was never inclined towards militancy.
Former Jamaat leader, Ghulam Qadir Lone said that Jamaat backed Independents will not only contest elections from many places but will also support Independent candidates who promise they will highlight the issue of ban on Jamaat. “We voted in the Lok Sabha polls and will also vote in assembly polls.”
