Afzal Guru’s brother Aijaz Guru to contest assembly elections from Sopore

SRINAGAR: Aijaz Ahmed Guru, brother of Parliament attack convict Mohammed Afzal Guru, is the latest to throw his hat in the poll ring in J&K, announcing to contest from the Sopore constituency as an independent candidate.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Aijaz said his son’s arrest was a key reason for him to enter the fray. His son, Shoaib Aijaz Guru, was arrested by Baramulla police in Dec 2023 on drug peddling charges under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PIT-NDPS Act), and is lodged in Jammu’s Kot-Bhalwal jail.

Aijaz, who works as a contractor, alleged the case against his son was “fabricated”, and vowed to fight for those similarly arrested under questionable circumstances.

Claiming that Sopore had been “neglected by previous leaders”, he said he was committed to addressing long standing local issues such as employment, infrastructure development and rehabilitation of youth. Aijaz said he would file his nomination papers on Thursday.

He, however, clarified he would not invoke his brother Afzal Guru’s name in his campaign. “I won’t seek votes in the name of my brother. My ideology is entirely different, and I believe the people of Kashmir, especially Sopore, have been betrayed by political leaders,” he said.

Further compounding the woes of mainstream parties, a PhD scholar has also entered the poll fray from Sopore.Feroz Khursheed, an Islamic scholar who holds a PhD degree in English, said there was a “complete leadership vacuum” in Kashmir and he had never seen “our so-called leaders raise the grievances of the people in the assembly”.

Feroz said educated individuals faced challenges due to the failures of past political leadership. “Many PhD holders have been forced into menial jobs,” he said. He claimed that several political parties had offered him a ticket, but he had declined due to “their history of betraying the people”. The people deserve leaders who will genuinely fight for their welfare, he asserted.

Congress and National Conference are locked in a “friendly contest” in Sopore. Congress has fielded Haji Abdul Rashid Dar, who has represented the seat thrice in the past, while Irshad Kar is the National Conference candidate.