SRINAGAR: Tagged with a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracker anklet to monitor his movements round the clock, former district president of the banned Jamat-e-Islami (JeI), Hafiz Mohammad Sikander Malik, will contest the Bandipora Assembly Constituency and has submitted his nomination papers on Thursday.
Tagged-with-a-Global-Positioning-System-GPS-tracker-anklet-to-monitor-his-movements-JeI-member-Files-Nimination.
Malik, a resident of Gundpora Bandipora, served as district president of Jamat-e-Islami until the organisation was banned. He has confirmed that he has submitted his nomination papers for the Bandipora Constituency.
He was arrested in 2019 following the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and was twice booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Subsequently, he was released on bail on December 2, 2023. In 2024, when Jammu and Kashmir introduced GPS tracker anklets to monitor terror accused individuals on bail, authorities in Bandipora affixed one to Malik to track his movements.
Sources said that JeI leaders had extensive discussions on his candidacy and, after receiving input from all senior members of the banned organisation, approved Malik to run as an independent candidate in the elections.
Notably, several leaders of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) have fielded candidates as independents in the Assembly elections in South Kashmir.
