The Central Advisory Committee (CAC) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) in its extraordinary session held last week at its headquarters in New Delhi, adopted a number of resolutions on current issues, including the Kashmir situation, disruptive acts in the county and rising prices. The session was presided over by JIH Amir Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari.
1) Kashmir Situation:
The CAC of JIH viewed with concern the present situation in Kashmir. It said: “The large number of civilian deaths due to police and armed forces’ action is extremely deplorable. The current wave of public anger is solely due to the misguided policies of the government and the excesses committed against people. The government is seeking to blame the situation on the non-existent external influence. It is well known, the crisis in Kashmir is not new. It has its roots in the past and it needs to be resolved in a realistic manner. Due to short-sighted political leaders, the problem has not been solved yet. The politicians have no sympathy for people; they just want to rule over the territory.
“The CAC regards the government indication as a good omen that it wants to win the hearts of Kashmiris. These sentiments should be backed by concrete measures. To begin with, the use of force against unarmed people should stop. Firing in response to stone throwing is not justified. Talks with all groups of people should be initiated; without insisting on normalcy. The CAC appeals to the Kashmiri people to keep their actions peaceful.
“The CAC session demands that the armed forces be withdrawn from civilian areas. The ongoing series of curfew, roadblocks, house raids and indiscriminate arrests should end. The repressive laws should be revoked and human rights violations should stop.”
2) Disruptive Acts and the Government’s Stance:
On the disruptive acts that took place in the country in the last few years, the CAC said: “The government and its agencies often proclaim their intention to fight terror. In spite of this, it is deplorable that instead of impartial investigation, they target Muslim youth and groups; without any evidence whatsoever. During the last two years, the terrorist groups owing allegiance to Hindutva, have been completely exposed. Several such individuals have been arrested in connection with the disruptive acts of Makka Masjid, Malegaon and Ajmer. The enquiry is continuing and in many cases, charge-sheets have been filed. It is indeed sad that the government and its agencies are not probing this obvious lead and continuing in their anti-Muslim tirade, as they had been doing from 1993 to 2008.
“These are ample indications that the Hindutva allied groups are involved in the incidents of Zaveri Bazaar, Samjhauta Express, Bangalore, Jaipur, Delhi, Gujarat and Pune.
“The CAC session condemns this casual attitude towards Hindutva groups. The media which professes neutrality is behaving irresponsibly and is shielding the Hindutva elements. On the other hand, innocent Muslim youth are being targeted by the government as well as the media. They have been implicated in false cases and the best years of their lives are spent languishing in jails.
“The CAC session implores the government to rethink about these double standards. All major disruptive acts of the last two decades and the police encounters should be impartially probed. Those really guilty should be brought to book. The innocent must be immediately released.”
3) Bangladesh Situation:
The CAC session also viewed with concern the repressive measures against the opposition, in Bangladesh. A resolution in this regard said: “The important leaders are being put behind bars in fabricated cases. Raids on party offices and curbs on normal political activities have become the rule of the day and humanitarian and democratic norms are suffering. The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is the main target of these cruel measures. The government is levelling false charges of revolt against its opponents. Efforts are on to cancel Jamaat’s registration as a political party.
“These actions of Bangladesh government are undemocratic and create a bad image of the country. The CAC demands an immediate end to the repressive measures. It appeals to all sane elements to pressurise the Bangladesh government to end its unjust draconian measures and restore the basic rights of people.”
4) Rising Prices:
On the rise of prices of all commodities, the CAC said: “The CAC is of the view that the high rise in prices is due to the misguided state policies. Under the influence of globalisation, the government has surrendered key sectors to the capitalists and the big industrialists, leading to high prices of commodities. There is a widespread demand for the ever new products; but the people have no corresponding purchasing capacity. Recent rise in prices of petrol and cooking gas has aggravated the people’s problems.
“The CAC invites the government to rethink on its surrender to the capitalistic globalisation. The government subsidies on necessities should continue. The additional excise burden on petrol and cooking gas should be withdrawn. The luxurious expenditures of ministers and bureaucrats should be curbed.”
The CAC members: Mr. M. Shafi Moonis, Dr. Abdul Haq Ansari, Mr. M. Jafar, Prof. K. Siddique Hasan, Mr. Nusrat Ali, Mr. Syed Ghulam Akbar, Dr. Muhammad Rafat, Dr. Hasan Raza, Dr. S.Q.R. Ilyas, Mr. H.A. Raquib, Engr. M. Saleem, Mr. Ejaz A. Aslam, Mr. Syed Saadatullah Hussaini attended the meeting. Besides, Maulana Rafique Qasmi, Mr. Iqbal Mulla, Mr. S. Mujtaba Farooque, Mr. Ashfaque Ahmad, Mr. Abdul Basit Anwar, and Mr. T. Aarif Ali also attended the meeting as special invitees.