Riyaz Ul Khaliq
KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
A Jama’at-e-Islami (JeI) Hind rukun (member) and its former National Secretary, journalist Ejaz Aslam, Monday evening refuted a news item attributed to him in which some media sections had quoted him as saying, “it will be in the interest of not only Kashmiris but India and Pakistan too if they reconcile with India.”
Following the news item which was published on Sunday, JeI J&K had distanced itself from Ejaz Aslam’s such reported statement. Hurriyat (g) and DeM had termed the statement as ‘childish and unrealistic’.
Speaking to Kashmir Life, Ejaz Aslam, who edits New Delhi based Radiance weekly magazine, said, “I am on a personal sight-seeing visit to J&K. I had gone to Marwah valley which lies in Kishtwar district.”
“On my return to Islamabad district, today, July 27th evening, I was astonished to see a purported statement ascribed to me regarding Kashmir and some other issues. I deny that I issued any statement,” he further said in a statement issued to press on his return from Kishtwar late Monday evening.
Ejaz Aslam asserted that Jama’at-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir never invited him nor had arranged any interview for him. “It was a private and personal exchange of thoughts and nothing more than that,” he said. “Further,” Ejaz emphasized, “I am retired from national secretary-ship of Jama’at-e-Islami Hind.”
Ejaz Aslam in his statement added, “the long standing issue of J&K should be amicably solved through peaceful talks and genuine concerns of J&K people must be addressed sincerely, without hurting their dignity and aspirations.”
A senior JeI J&K functionary while quoting JeI J&K associates of South Kashmir’s Islamabad district informed Kashmir Life that Ejaz Aslam reached Islamabad Thursday late evening and he spent that night at the district Islamabad office. “Next day – Friday – when locals came to know that Ejaz Aslam was in the town, they requested him to recite Juma Khutba,” he said.
“I sat with some youth post Friday congregational prayers and we had exchange of ideas,” Ejaz Aslam said. “I told them (youth) that Kashmir issue should be resolved through peaceful means.”
Sources in JeI J&K said that following resentment over such reported statement from a former JeI Hind functionary, JeI J&K central administration early Monday had issued a ‘show cause notice’ to functionaries of JeI J&K’s Islamabad district. “However,” one of the sources said, “the functionaries of Islamabad district claim that Ejaz Aslam had never said such things.”
