Thu Sep 12 11:16:14 UTC 2024: ## Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid Released on Interim Bail to Campaign in J&K Elections

**Srinagar, September 13, 2023:** Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, was released from Tihar Jail on Wednesday after being granted interim bail by a Delhi court. Rashid, who was arrested in 2019 in connection with a terror funding case, will be allowed to campaign in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, scheduled to begin later this month.

Upon his release, Rashid vowed to continue his political fight, focusing on what he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s failed narrative of ‘Naya Kashmir.’ He also accused the BJP of using oppressive tactics against him, stating he would fight against Modi’s ideology until his last breath.

Rashid’s release comes with conditions, including a bond of ₹2 lakh, a surety, and a prohibition on discussing the ongoing terror funding case with the media. The court deferred its decision on his regular bail plea to October 5.

The National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah criticized the interim bail, claiming it was granted to fetch votes, not to serve the people. He argued that the people of Baramulla would be left without a representative after the elections.

Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) is contesting the assembly elections, which will be held in three phases starting on September 18. The elections in Jammu and Kashmir are expected to be a major political battleground, with results set to be declared on October 8.

Several political leaders have reacted to Rashid’s release. Ghulam Nabi Azad, chief of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), welcomed the court’s decision, describing it as a step towards justice. However, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti accused Rashid of being a proxy for the BJP and lamented the disparity in the treatment of jailed individuals.

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