Sopore/Srinagar: Azfal Guru's brother, Ajaz Ahmad Guru has said that he will be contesting elections as an independent candidate from north Kashmir's Sopore seat.
"When everyone is contesting elections, then why shouldn't I," he said.
My ideology is different as compared to my late brother, he said, he will fight for those youths, who he said have been arrested in fabricated cases by the J&K police, including his son Shoaib. He said, "Shoaib was arrested nine-months ago by police in a fabricated case."
Citing the jailed parliamentarian's victory in recently held Lok Sabha Elections, Ajaz said that if Er Rashid's son can campaign for their jailed father, "why can't I campaign to prove that my son didn't do anything wrong. He studies in Pune."
He said, he will raise the issue the cases of other innocents who are in jail on false charges.
Ajaz resigned voluntarily from the Animal Husbandry department in 2014, is presently working as a contractor.
According to media reports, Ajaz will probably submit his form on Tuesday or Wednesday. The last day for filing the nomination is Thursday.
Afzal Guru was hanged and buried in Tihar on February 9, 2013, after being convicted for the 2001 attack on Parliament. His body was not handed over to his family in north Kashmir's Sopore town and was instead buried inside the jail premises. Activists and people in Kashmir have been critical of the hanging.
Afzal is survived by his wife who live separately in Baramulla town.
Ajaz Guru, however, said he won't seek votes in the name of his brother. "My ideology is different. I believe that the people of Kashmir were betrayed by every political leader, some in the name of autonomy, self rule, and some in the name of 'Azadi'. Everybody betrayed the people of Kashmir," he said.
Sopore was considered a stronghold of separatist leader and Jamaat ideologue Syed Ali Geelani, and voters stayed away from polling in the past few decades.
That changed in the recent Lok Sabha elections, with jailed engineer Rashid defeating former chief minister Omar Abdullah in north Kashmir. political analysts say Rashid’s win may have worked as a catalyst for other people including former jamat members and Pro freedom orator Sarkar Barkati who are contesting as independents in the upcoming assembly elections.