Meeting perceived as prelude to setting up an alternative consultation body a la Mushawarat
A ‘closed door’ meeting involving some Muslim leaders, Ulema and representatives of certain community organisations was held at the swanky India International Centre in the national capital on March 3. It is said the meeting was convened to deal with the increasingly hostile socio-political situation vis-à-vis minorities, Muslims in particular, in the country. No official press note was released after the day-long deliberations while the reporters were not invited to cover it. Whatever information about the meeting is available in the public domain was from the sources or persons who participated therein.
The meeting was dubbed ‘Jirga for Strong India’. ‘Jirga’ is a term borrowed from Afghanistan meaning consultation. It is broadly stated to set up “a platform” to oppose the contentious citizenship regime and other anti-people policies of the Narendra Modi government.
Speaking to Radiance Viewsweekly, Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, former chairman, Delhi Minority Commission, took exception to the term ‘Jirga’, saying, “There is no such thing as “Jirga”. The meeting held on at IICC March 3 was not a “Jirga”.
He revealed that the name “Jirga” was proposed by Adv. Mahmood Pracha for a proposed group to be established to support minorities and other persecuted classes, especially Dalits and Adivasis.
“I was the first to oppose the use of the word “Jirga” for the proposed group. I said that it is a Pashtun word and an Afghani concept which people in India will not easily understand. Hence it was agreed that another name will be adopted for the proposed group.”
On the purpose of the meeting, Dr Khan said, “It was a consultative meeting called by Supreme Court advocate Adv. Mahmood Pracha and supported by Maulana Wali Rahmani.”
“Pracha saheb visited me and Maulana Rahmani phoned me, asking me to participate in the meeting to deliberate over issues of the community,” Dr Khan added.
Vouching for his contention, Adv Pracha said it was a meeting to discuss issues concerning 85 per cent population of India as he meant Muslims, Dalits, and backward sections. Adv Pracha is said to be the driving force behind this show as it is he who had extended an invitation to the participants.
On what transpired in the meeting, Malik Moatasim Khan stated that the organisers were more focused on politics, but most of the participants touched upon socio-economic problems concerning the community in general and educational backwardness and growing sense of insecurity in particular. Moatasim Khan attended the meet as a representative of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.
The meeting was held in two sessions but it did not arrive at any conclusion. The meeting did not take any decision whatsoever but it did set up a committee under the command of Adv Pracha and former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi, Jamaat leader Moatasim Khan told Radiance Viewsweekly.
The committee was assigned a task to chart out the future course of action.
However, Dr Khan averred that the matter is still being discussed between the participants and others who could not attend the Delhi meeting. Once it takes a concrete shape, an announcement will be made, he added.
The meeting is also being perceived as a prelude to setting up a parallel Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat.
Hinting this, Dr Khan said need for the proposed group was felt because Muslim organisations have fallen silent while the community is facing problems, one after another.
“This was seen particularly during the NRC-CAA crisis a year ago when the common man, especially our youth and our women, came out in their hundreds of thousands in every city and town across the country to protest and continued their protest for months while our Muslim organisations and leadership sat watching from the sidelines,” he added.
Supporting his views, political analyst and senior journalist Shaheen Nazar opined: “The meeting is currently talk-of-the-town in Delhi. Some people are sceptical about it. They are viewing it as an attempt to form a parallel to Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an umbrella body of Muslims and confederation of prominent Muslim organisations launched in 1964.”
He said there is no harm if a new consultative body comes up as Mushawarat, Milli Council and others have run their course and new blood and energy needed to take up the community issues in the given political environment.
“Even Mushawarat is not above criticism. Many people believe that the Mushawarat has run its course and a new setup is required. This was the feeling 30 years back when Milli Council was launched. Despite the association of a towering personality like Qazi Mujahidul Islam Qasmi, it remained a non-starter. With all its shortcomings, Mushawarat continues to be the sole representative body of Muslims.”
However, Malik Moatasim pointed out that the organisers wanted to shape it into a political platform but no decision was taken on this.
Shaheen, who also penned a piece on the meeting, further said the meeting assumed significance because of the list of participants. “Although top leaders of major political or religious parties of Muslims were not present, yet those who made themselves available are known faces, some of them highly respected individuals. Besides, they came from varied fields: religious leaders and scholars of various schools of thought; public figures and retired civil servants.”
The absence of leaders from both factions of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, All India Muslim Majlis-e- Itahadul Muslimeen, All India Milli Council and others was conspicuous.
Notable among other participants are former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, Mufti Mohammad Mukarram, Welfare Party of India President Dr S QR Ilyas, Social Democratic Party of India General Secretary Mohammad Shafi, Shia Maulana Kalbe Jawwad Naqvi, Dargah Ajmer Sharif Khadim Syed Sarwar Chishti, Nazim Masihul Uloom, Bangalore Mufti Shoibullah Khan, Chairman India Islamic Cultural Centre Siraj Qureshi, ex MP Khurram Anis, Zakat Foundation of India Chairman, Dr Zafar Mahmood and others.
Muslim Personal Law Board General Secretary Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani presided over the meeting.
However, the coverage of the meeting in certain news portals has generated a sort of controversy. The fallout of this controversy was former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi who distanced himself from the meeting.
“I never joined it. I never joined any organisation. Someone made a wrong statement,” he told Radiance Viewsweekly. Quraishi was made chairman of the Committee along with Adv Pracha.
Speaking about JIH stand on the committee, Malik Moatasim said we will take a call on this when any proposal comes to us for consideration. He also said we have taken the note of some reports published in news portals about the meeting. When asked about some faces in the meeting who hobnobbed with the ruling party leaders that is the major cause of controversy, he said they would take all care in the future.
“You know Jamaat-e-Islami is not a personality-centric organisation and it takes decisions only after due consultation with its members,” he added.