Thu Sep 12 09:47:06 UTC 2024: ## Kashmiri MP Engineer Rashid Released From Tihar Jail, to Campaign for Assembly Elections
**New Delhi:** Kashmiri MP Engineer Rashid was released from Tihar Jail on Wednesday, September 11th, after being granted interim bail by a Delhi court in a terror funding case. The bail will remain in effect until October 2nd, allowing Rashid to campaign in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
The elections are scheduled to take place in three phases, ending on October 1st, with results declared on October 8th. Rashid’s party, the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), is contesting the elections with 34 candidates, including his brother Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh, who is vying for the Langate seat in Kupwara district. Rashid’s participation in the campaign is expected to significantly boost his party’s chances in the elections.
**Who is Engineer Rashid?**
Engineer Rashid, whose real name is Abdul Rashid Sheikh, has been in jail since 2019 on charges related to terror funding. He is a former two-time MLA from the Langate seat and currently represents the Baramulla constituency in the Lok Sabha. Rashid has a history of being an separatist leader before entering mainstream politics.
**Defeating Omar Abdullah in Lok Sabha Elections**
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the 57-year-old Rashid garnered significant attention by defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by over two lakh votes in the Baramulla constituency. This victory was particularly surprising as he campaigned from Tihar Jail, where he had been facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for the past five years. While contesting as an independent candidate, Rashid was not allowed to campaign during the Lok Sabha elections unlike the Assembly elections.
**From Separatist to Mainstream Politician**
Prior to joining mainstream politics in 2008, Rashid was close to slain Hurriyat leader and JKPC founder Abdul Gani Lone, the father of Sajjad Lone. He had joined the People’s Conference, founded by Abdul Gani Lone in 1978. Notably, the People’s Conference was then part of the separatist political camp. However, Rashid later distanced himself from separatist politics and joined government service as a civil engineer. He formally entered mainstream politics in 2008 by winning the Langate Assembly seat in Kupwara district and repeated his victory in the 2014 Assembly elections. He then formed the Awami Ittehad Party, which is yet to be recognized as a political party by the Election Commission of India (ECI). He contested the 2019 parliamentary elections from Baramulla but lost to Akbar Lone of the National Conference.
**Image of a Common Man**
Known for portraying himself as a common man and raising issues relevant to ordinary people, Rashid, often seen in a Pathani suit and a Phiran – a Kashmiri woolen gown, has built a strong connection with the youth during elections.
**Arrest in 2019 Terror Funding Case**
In August 2019, shortly after the abrogation of Article 370, Rashid was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a terror funding case. According to media reports, he was accused of criminal conspiracy in a case related to receiving and collecting funds through hawala for separatist leaders in 2017. Initially, his name was not included in the case, and he was not among the 12 accused named in the agency’s first chargesheet filed on January 18, 2018. However, he was implicated in subsequent investigations. He was arrested on August 9, 2019, and named in a supplementary chargesheet filed on October 4, 2019, alongside five others, including JKLF chief Yasin Malik.
**Questions Over Timing of Bail**
Mainstream politicians in Jammu and Kashmir have questioned the timing of Rashid’s bail. Both the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed concerns about potential disruption and alleged tacit understanding between the BJP and AIP and other smaller parties. PDP leader and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had questioned on Monday, “Where is AIP getting resources to field so many candidates?”
This development is likely to add a new dimension to the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
First Piper 