September 8, 2025

The banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) group in Jammu and Kashmir is buzzing with big internal fights! Officials reveal that veteran leader Ghulam Mohammed Bhat is making a dramatic comeback. He has won the support of 35 out of 40 powerful members in the group’s advisory council called the 'Shoora.' This strong show of support hints at a major plan: to hold talks with the government and push for the ban on Jamaat to be lifted, which was recently extended for five years. Bhat’s return sends ripples far beyond J&K borders. In the past, he cooled down tensions by cutting Jamaat’s ties with the banned terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen, which Pakistan’s ISI uses to claim Kashmir terrorism is local. The Indian government has always accused Jamaat of working against the country's security and teaming up with militants and separatists. Back in 1999, Bhat shocked many by officially separating Jamaat from terrorism. This sparked a huge split, causing hardliners like Syed Ali Geelani and Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai to quit and form Tehreek-i-Hurriyat in 2003. Now, history could be repeating: a new fight started when leaders Ghulam Qadir Wani and Ghulam Qadir War decided to fight elections under the Justice and Development Front (JDF) banner but lost badly. The majority in Shoora, led by Bhat and his allies Mohammed Abdullah Wani and Sheikh Hasan, forced them out and set up a new interim leadership, firing ten district chiefs who backed Wani. This fresh faction inside Jamaat is trying hard to make peace with the government and get the ban lifted. Meanwhile, another political juggernaut called People's Alliance for Change (PAC), launched by Sajad Lone, seems shaky because the JDF group inside it is weak and struggling for support. Some Jamaat members had hoped that contesting the 2024 assembly elections might change their fortunes in Kashmir’s troubled politics. But their poor performance, losing many deposits, showed how far they still have to go. Experts say this internal drama reflects Jamaat’s ongoing crisis since 2019, when the Indian government cracked down hard on separatists and their allies, including Jamaat. Back in 2002, when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed formed a coalition government, Jamaat got some breathing space and reopened offices, schools, and charity groups. But all that ended in February 2019 when India banned Jamaat under strict laws. Watch this space! With Bhat’s revival, Jamaat might follow a new, clearer path—maybe even try electoral politics again. Will this power struggle breathe new life into the group or deepen its troubles? Time will tell in the high-stakes chessboard of Jammu and Kashmir's politics.

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Tags: Jamaat-e-islami, Jammu and kashmir, Ghulam mohammed bhat, Shoora, Ban extension, Political crisis,