Jailed MP Engineer Rashid’s father passes away at 85; leaders extend condolences

The father of jailed Lok Sabha MP and Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) chief Engineer Rashid passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, after a prolonged illness, the party said on Monday. He was 85.

AIP chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi said Rashid’s father, Khazir Mohammad Sheikh, had earlier this month been shifted from SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, to Delhi due to his deteriorating condition. Family members said Sheikh had been battling multiple health issues for a long time.

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti were among several leaders who expressed condolences to the bereaved family. In a post on X, the Chief Minister’s Office said Omar Abdullah expressed “deep grief and sorrow” over the demise of the father of MP Rashid and MLA Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh.

“The Chief Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul,” the statement said, adding that he also prayed for strength and courage for the family to bear the loss.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also expressed grief, saying she was deeply saddened by the death of Rashid’s father. “The pain of losing a parent is devastating. I pray to Allah to give the family patience and strength at this difficult time,” she said.

Hurriyat Conference chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also extended heartfelt condolences and sympathies to Engineer Rashid and the bereaved family.