6 August 2008, New Delhi

Mr Nusrat Ali, Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has welcomed the Delhi High Court tribunal’s decision to lift ban from Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and expressed that the decision further restored the dignity of Judiciary.

It should be noted that the ban on SIMI was first imposed by the BJP led NDA government in 2001. This action was then widely condemned in legal and political circles. It was expected that the UPA government who swears by democratic values and projects itself as champion of minority rights, would lift this unjust ban, after gaining power in the centre. On the contrary, the UPA government re-imposed the ban on SIMI in Feb 2006 while several elements in the coalition government had termed the ban as unfair.

In a press statement issued today here, Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami terming the UPA government’s decision to challenge the tribunal’s verdict in Supreme Court as unreasonable, he called upon the government to respect the tribunal decision and accept it willingly.

Mr Nusrat Ali demanded the government to swiftly release all persons who were arrested from various parts of the country in the name of SIMI and withdraw all fake cases that were filed against them. Moreover, he reiterated, “Although there can be no reparation for injustice and atrocities that had been done with them during the ban, however government should pay reasonable compensation to all such oppressed persons.”

He advised SIMI workers to offer gratitude to Allah for ending this suffering and strive for the peaceful construction of the community and humanity.

Media Dept.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, HQ