Banning JeI will have serious ramifications: Mehbooba

Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday warned that Center's decision to ban politico-religious Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) will have “dangerous ramifications” in the restive Himalayan state.

“You cannot imprison an ideology or an idea. There are thousands of Kashmiris in villages and cities associated with the Jamaat. It is s socio-religious organisation,” she told reporters in Srinagar.

Authorities in Kashmir sealed several properties, including the schools and residences, belonging to the JeI in the last two days. This comes after the Centre banned the outfit on the ground that it was “in close touch” with militant groups and was likely to “escalate secessionist movement.”

However, Mehbooba while criticising the decision said, “Children studying in Jamaat-run schools have been securing positions in exams. What will happen to these children after you close their schools?”

“It (JeI) has on many occasions publicly disapproved violence as a method of political struggle. Banning this organisation will further shrink the space for politics and dialogue and it seems that the government of India is now completely depending on the force as a measure to subjugate the people of state,” she alleged.

The PDP chief said that banning the Jamaat could have "dangerous ramifications. We had resisted these moves of the BJP when we were in power with them.”

She claimed that as the Chief Minister and the Home Minister of the state during the previous PDP-BJP coalition, she never got any credible intelligence reports about the links of Jamaat workers with the militants.

Sources said the centre took the decision to ban the Jamaat after reports that it was responsible for the creation of Hizb-ul- Mujahideen, and the brain behind the formation of Hurriyat Conference.