New Delhi: Following a spate of reactions from different sections of the community over the Jirga, former Chief Election Commission and retired IAS S.Y. Quraishi on Wednesday chose to distance from the controversial closed-door meeting held IIC in the national capital recently.

The  meeting, dubbed “Jirga for stronger India”, was held on March 3 and after the day-long deliberations a committee was setup. It  was headed by Supreme Court lawyer Mahmood Pracha and S. Y. Quraishi.  Following the controversy generated in the community over Muslim Mirror’s coverage of the meet, former Chief Election Commissioner said he never joined the group.  

“I never joined it. I never join any organisation. Someone made a wrong statement”, he told Muslim Mirror.

The committee was formed to the future course of action.

Besides Pracha and Quraishi, those who participated in person or through Zoom included  Wajahat Habibullah, former Chief Information Commissioner; Zafarul Islam Khan, former chairman, Delhi Minority Commission; Mufti Mukarram, Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Fatehpuri Masjid; Maulana Wali Rahmani, General Secretary Muslim Personal Law Board; Shia rligious leader  Kalbe Jawad Naqvi; Syed Sarwar Chishti of Dargah Ajmer Sharif, Mufti Shoibullah Khan, Nazim, Masihul Uloom, Bangalore; Siraj Qureshi, president India Islamic Cultural Centre, Delhi, Malik Moatasim Khan, Jamaat Islami Hind, and others.

On the announcement of Quraishi, an analyst said it will further downgrade credence of the committee and meeting itself which attracted some prominent figures in the community.