Rashid’s party holds protest, seeks his immediate release

Leaders and supporters of the Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) staged a protest in Srinagar on Saturday, demanding the immediate release of party president and jailed Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla, Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid.

The MP, currently lodged in New Delhi’s Tihar jail, was arrested by the NIA in connection with a terror funding case in 2019.

The protest began near Sangarmal Complex, with the demonstrators intending to march towards Lal Chowk. However, they were stopped by police and not allowed to proceed.

AIP chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi said that despite spending six years in jail, Engineer Rashid “continues to rule the hearts of the people of Jammu and Kashmir — a testament to his honesty, courage, and unwavering stand for truth.”

Inam also launched a scathing attack on the leadership of the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing them of maintaining a “shameless silence” over the plight of Kashmiris lodged in jails. “Here in Kashmir, they shed crocodile tears and fight for petty political survival, but in Delhi, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti are busy enjoying lavish dinners with Congress leaders — the same Congress that has repeatedly betrayed and deceived the people of Kashmir,” he said.

AIP MLA Sheikh Khursheed described the protest as an “appeal to the authorities” for the release of Engineer Rashid and other detainees held in and outside Jammu and Kashmir. “When the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack have been neutralised, why are those arrested in its aftermath still behind bars?” he asked.

Khursheed also criticised the NC, PDP, and other regional leaders, accusing them of using the sufferings of the Kashmiri people as “political bargaining chips.”