Political Twist: Engineer Rasheed Enters Lok Sabha Race from Tihar Jail

Baramulla: In a twist of fate, former legislator Sheikh Abdul Rasheed, alias Engineer Rasheed, currently in Delhi’s Tihar jail, is contesting upcoming Lok Sabha elections from north Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency.

In a hurriedly called press conference, Political Affairs Chairman of Awami Itteh Party,(AIP) Ishtiyaq Ahm, said “Keeping in view aspirations and sentiments of voters of Baramulla, party chief Engineer Rasheed will run for Lok Sabha elections from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency under AIP banner,”.

In midst of political upheaval, Manzoor Anjum, Editor-in-Chief of Daily Uqab, shared insights with Republic TV, “Er. Rasheed has not been convicted yet, so he can contest. If he contests, it's difficult to predict what percentage of votes he will get this time,” Anjum said, alluding to complexities surrounding Rasheed's candidacy.

Reflecting on Rasheed’s relevance in current political climate, Anjum emphasised need for observation. “It remains to be seen if Er Rasheed is still relevant or not because it will be interesting to watch," he said. He furr ded, “ entire atmosphere, particularly post abrogation of Article 370, is a bit confusing. Wher Er is relevant or not, or wher it's an indication of some bigger challenges within Kashmiri society, will be known only once he's allowed to contest elections,”.

Meanwhile, Ahm disclosed party’s decision to eschew pre-poll alliances, relying inste on support of populace and crowdfunding for campaign financing.

“We won't have a pre-poll alliance. We will fight on our strength, strength of people,” Ahm asserted, outlining party’s strategy for forthcoming elections.

In response to inquiries about any indication from authorities regarding Engineer Rasheed's release, Ahm said, “We remain uncertain about when Er Rasheed will be granted freedom. A comprehensive FIR spanning 25,000 pages has been lodged against him, and legal proceedings are ongoing in court. We hold Constitution of India in high regard, albeit acknowledging past misinterpretations,”.

“Engineer Rasheed has served as an MLA for 11 years and according to Constitution of India, he possesses right to contest. Despite being labelled as an agent until recently, he has spent past 5 years incarcerated in Tihar Jail,” he furr ded.

Meanwhile, announcement of Engineer Rasheed’s candidacy has ded to intrigue of upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir. It comes in wake of rival party leer Saj Lone’s declaration of candidacy for his party in same constituency.

Political parties like National Conference (NC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and ors are yet to unveil ir candidates.

Profile of Engineer Rasheed

Er. Rasheed, who served as a two-term MLA from Langate constituency in north Kashmir, gained notoriety in 2015 when he faced assault by BJP MLAs inside Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for organizing a beef party. incident sparked protests, with former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemning it as a ‘Dri style assault,’ criticizing BJP’s actions.

In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Er Rasheed surprised many by polling 1, 01500 votes as an Independent candidate in Baramulla constituency, trailing behind National Conference’s Akbar Lone by 31,192 votes and Saj Lone’s Peoples Conference by 827 votes.

Rasheed’s ability to connect with youth was evident through his active presence on social media platforms like Facebook, even when he was placed under house arrest by authorities to prevent him from leing a march against PM Narendra Modi’s Kashmir visit. video was watched by more than a million people n.

Known for his street agitations and vocal criticisms of government, Rasheed’s political career took a dramatic turn when he was arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in August 2019 in connection with a case related to funding of terrorist activities in Kashmir.

His arrest marked first instance of a mainstream politician being apprehended by NIA in such a case.

Rasheed was arrested after failing to provide satisfactory answers in questioning. His connection emerged during Zahoor Watali’s interrogation for funding terrorist groups in J&K.

During probe, NIA uncovered illegal fundraising, implicating Hafiz Saeed, banned Hurriyat factions, Hizbul Mujahideen and Dukhtaran-e-Millat.