The brother of Parliament terror attack convict Afzal Guru has decided to fight the J&K Assembly elections from the north Kashmir Sopore constituency.
Ajaz Ahmad Guru, brother of Afzal Guru, will contest the Assembly elections as an Independent from the Sopore Assembly seat.
He took voluntary retirement from the J&K government's Animal Husbandry Department in 2014 and has been working as a contractor since then.
“I will submit my nomination papers for the Sopore Assembly seat today or tomorrow,” he said. Thursday (September 12) is the last day for filing nominations for the Sopore Assembly seat.
He told reporters, “When everyone is contesting elections, why shouldn’t I? I have a different ideology from my brother, but I will fight for those youth who have been arrested in fabricated cases by police, including my son, Shoiab who was arrested nine months ago by police in a fabricated case.”
“When Engineer Rashid’s son, Abrar Rashid campaigned for his father. Why can’t I speak for my son who is studying in Pune? I will prove my son didn’t do anything wrong,” he added.
He said he will not only champion his son’s case but also all other "innocent people who are in jail on false charges".
Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar jail on February 9, 2013, after being convicted for the 2001 Parliament attack.
His mortal remains were buried inside the jail complex and not handed to the family. His wife, Afshan Guru lives separately in Baramulla town.
“Since my ideology is different, I will not seek votes in the name of my brother. It is my belief that every political leader has betrayed the people of Kashmir. Some in the name of 'Azadi', some self-rule and some did it in the name of autonomy”, Ajaz Guru said.
Sopore has been represented in the J&K legislative Assembly thrice by hardline separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani till the Jamaat-e-Islami boycotted elections at the beginning of the terror violence in the state in 1990.
The constituency has been considered the hotbed of separatist sentiment in Kashmir. In the Lok Sabha elections, however, Sopore voters registered 44 per cent voter turnout.
Jamaat has also fielded its ex-members in south Kashmir districts since the organisation cannot as such participate in elections because it was banned in 2019 by the Union Home Ministry.
Sri Lankan Navy arrests 32 Tamil fishermen, five boats seized
The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 32 fishermen from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and fishing in Lankan waters.
Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi hails ISRO's century in rocket launches, urges people to dedicate a day for science
Addressing the 119th episode of his monthly radio programme, 'Mann Ki Baat', on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Indian Space Research Organisation, saying it has hit the century in space. Last month, the country witnessed the ISRO's 100th rocket launch.
Mizoram student stabbed to death in Kerala, batchmate arrested
A 22-year-old BTech student from Mizoram was stabbed to death near his college in Thiruvananthapuram. The deceased, Valentine, was a student at Rajadhani Institute of Engineering & Technology, Nagaroor.
Italy PM slams Left's double standards, says when Trump, Meloni, Modi talk, they are called threat to democracy
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has accused left-wing politicians of being "nervous" over former US President Donald Trump's victory, claiming that conservatives are unfairly labelled as a "threat to democracy" while leftist leaders are celebrated for similar global alliances.
NDRF intensifies rescue operation to save 8 trapped in Telangana tunnel
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams on Sunday intensified rescue efforts to save eight persons trapped in an under-construction tunnel after a portion of its roof collapsed in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district on February 22.
Israel delays Palestinian prisoner release after 'humiliating' hostage handovers
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that the release of Palestinian prisoners would be delayed until Hamas ceases its "humiliating ceremonies" during the release of Israeli hostages under the ceasefire deal.
PM Modi on 3-day visit to MP, Bihar, Assam from today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Assam from February 23 to 25 to participate in several developmental projects and inaugurate business summits.
US senators call out China for 'weaponising' UN 1971 resolution, vow support to Taiwan
The United States Senators accused China of subverting United Nations Resolution 2758 in an attempt to isolate Taiwan. The senators proposed a resolution in the Senate reaffirming US support for Taiwan. The resolution opposes China's attempt to prevent Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organisations.