SRINAGAR: Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir rallied behind Engineer Rashid on Saturday, urging authorities to release him temporarily on humanitarian grounds. This comes a day after a Delhi NIA court rejected the jailed Baramulla MP’s bail plea to meet his critically ill father.
Cross-Party Support
Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone said, “I may have a million disagreements with Engineer Rashid. We fight each other politically. But he deserves to meet his critically ill father. That is his right.”
Rashid’s son Abrar revealed that his grandfather Khazir Mohammad is on ventilator support in the ICU of Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital. “Granting short-term bail would not weaken the system. It would show balance and that the law is not blind to human suffering. A man who has spent years in Tihar jail only asked for a few moments with his father in his final hours. It is painful to see that even this was denied. I hope compassion finds space in this critical situation. Some moments, once lost, can never be brought back,” Abrar said.
Legal and Political Context
Rashid has been lodged in Tihar jail since 2019, facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in a 2017 terror funding case investigated by the NIA. Governing National Conference (NC) MP Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan appealed to the Centre “to consider Rashid’s release on humanitarian grounds”.
Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) has pinned hopes on “fairness and compassion” from the Delhi High Court, where the MP’s regular bail plea is scheduled to be heard on April 27. AIP expressed deep concern over the denial of interim relief and urged authorities to take into account Rashid’s position as a sitting MP of Baramulla, which comprises 18 assembly segments and nearly 40% of Kashmir’s population.
Previous Custody Parole and Electoral Success
Rashid had previously been granted custody parole to attend Parliament’s Budget session earlier this year. He won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, defeating NC’s Omar Abdullah by over 2 lakh votes in Baramulla. Omar later won the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls and became Chief Minister.
