Kashmir separatists' dramatic about-face

Tha Jamaat e-Islami party seal

SRINAGAR, Kashmir -- In a dramatic turnaround, the most influential separatist Kashmir party said it is not seeking the merger of Jammu-Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, into Pakistan.

The head of Jamaat e-Islami, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, said on Sunday that there is no mention of merging Kashmir with Pakistan in the party's constitution.

"We didn't ever even pass a resolution demanding accession since we have been working here," he was quoted as telling reporters by the Associated Press.

The announcement comes as a surprise development ahead of state elections in Kashmir which are slated to be held by mid-October.

For five decades Jamaat e-Islami has struggled politically for a merger of Jammu-Kashmir with Pakistan.

Now it seems the most influential and hardline Islamic political party in Indian-controlled Kashmir is rethinking its mandate. The ramifications of these developments are hard to predict, however, as groups or leaders in Kashmir have been known to backtrack on statements in the past.

Indian political scientist Haseeb Adhad told the Associated Press, "This is a clear indication that the Jamaat wants to re-accept ... the basic framework of the Indian democratic setup in Kashmir."

In addition, Bhat distanced his party from any connection with Islamic militants staging terror attacks and even suggesting it would consider participation in state elections. He said his party would not call for a boycott of the elections.

Jamaat's acceptance of the Kashmiri elections, held every five years, is in direct conflict with the views of the All Party Hurriyat Conference, of which the separatist group is a member.

The conference, a group of 24 Muslim religious and political groups in Kashmir, boycotted the last elections in the Indian state.